FBI experts say all eyes will be on the case because “the walls are closing in” on Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper after Savannah Guthrie returns to “Today” on a “national platform.”
“The pressure increases every day. It’s very exhausting to keep secrets like this. … And it gets even harder every time Savannah Guthrie sits behind the anchor desk,” former FBI agent Jason Pack exclusively told Page Six.
“Most criminals in cases like this expect the media to come forward,” he continued. “They expect their families to disappear from public view. They expect people to forget. This case is different. Savannah has a national platform and she shows up there every day. Every time viewers see her face, they think of their mother.”
Pack believes that the more attention the case attracts, the more “pressure will be placed on those responsible.”
“When you add in a reward of more than $1 million and the full weight of FBI resources, you have a situation where the walls don’t just close, they close from every direction at once,” he said.
Pack went on to urge Nancy’s neighbors to check the cameras and contact authorities with any information about Nancy’s disappearance.
“At some point someone will have the courage to make the call,” he says. “All it takes is a phone call from someone who has determined that a reward is more important than silence, and law enforcement can be sent directly to their home.”
Savannah returned to “Today” on Monday, two months after her mother was reported missing.
“Good morning. Welcome to ‘Today’ this morning. I’m so happy to start your week with us. I’m happy to be home,” he cheerfully told viewers.
Co-host Craig Melvin then brought her outside to greet fans, enthusing: “We’re back at 8:30 on this beautiful Monday morning. It’s a special Monday morning for us and for this audience, because we’re welcoming the return of our North Star. Come out here! Come out now!”
Savannah, 54, exited the show holding hands with co-anchor Jenna Bush Hager after sharing an emotional hug.
She told fans who greeted her with thoughtful signs, “These signs are so beautiful. You all were so beautiful. I received so many letters, so many kind feelings for me and my whole family. We feel it, we feel your prayers, thank you!”
Page Six first reported that Savannah would return to the NBC morning show in April.
Ahead of her return, she gave an emotional interview with Hoda Kotb in which she spoke about the difficult ordeal that even made her blame herself for her mother’s disappearance.
In the early hours of February 1st, Nancy was kidnapped while she was sleeping at her home in Tucson, Arizona.
More than a week later, authorities released video and photos of a masked person to the public that showed the kidnapper stealing a doorbell camera and entering the 84-year-old man’s home.
Authorities have detained and interrogated several people in connection with the kidnapping, but no arrests have been made.
