A tearful Savannah Guthrie said she was in “agony” over the disappearance of her mother, Nancy, as she sat intimately with “Today” show host and friend Hoda Kotb.
On Wednesday’s episode of the “Today” show, Kotb, Craig Melvin, Carson Daly and Al Roker announced that Savannah gave her first on-camera interview since her mother’s disappearance.
“It’s been 53 days since Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home in the middle of the night,” Melvin began the conversation. “And Hoda, yesterday you had a chance to spend time with our girls. You sat down with Savannah for her first interview since her mother disappeared.”
“As you can imagine, it was a very emotional conversation,” said Kotb, who returned to the “Today” show because Savannah remains in Arizona. “We’ll be bringing you all tomorrow and Friday, but first we wanted to share with you a moment from the interview where Savannah sent a message to anyone who may have information.”
The footage also showed Savannah sitting across from Kotb, distraught and crying.
“Someone has to do the right thing. We are suffering. We are suffering,” the 54-year-old said, shaking. “I can’t stand it.
“And when I think about what she went through, I wake up in the middle of the night every night and imagine her fear in the dark, and it’s unthinkable, but those thoughts demand to be thought, and I’m not going to hide my face, but she needs to go home right now,” Savannah added, to which a tearful Kotb agreed.
When asked by The Daily how he was doing, Kotb sadly replied that he was “okay.”
“Savannah has a desperation and a steeliness, which means she wants someone – whoever it is – to see something and say something,” she continued.
Kotb then teased the rest of the interview, explaining that Savannah talks about the investigation, her faith, and how she’s getting through this situation.
“I was kind of surprised that she was able to sit there with her clothes on and have a conversation and even directly think about her future,” she added.
Daley agreed, saying it was “heartbreaking” to see “someone you love so much, 50 days after this tragic event, still show resilience and grace in this torturous limbo”.
“No one is stealing her joy,” Kotb insisted.
“As she pointed out, our only hope right now is that someone watching, someone listening will do the right thing and answer the phone,” Melvin added, “urging” anyone with further information to contact the FBI.
The moving interview will be broadcast in two parts starting Thursday.
On February 1st, Nancy, 84, was reported missing from her home in Tucson after failing to attend a virtual church service.
Shortly after, the FBI released horrifying home security camera photos of an armed and masked figure outside Nancy’s door the night she disappeared.
Video and photos show a man wearing gloves standing at Nancy’s front door, fiddling with the door camera.
Several people were detained during this investigation, but were released after it was proven that they had nothing to do with Nancy’s disappearance.
Savannah and her family have since expressed acceptance that Nancy may have passed away, as they have offered $1 million to return her “miracle.”
