Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother, Nancy, has been missing from her home in Arizona since Sunday. On Monday, the TODAY show began with a statement from the morning show co-anchor: “On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom.”
This is a developing situation, but read on for more about what happened, why authorities are concerned, and what Guthrie said on TODAY.
What happened to Nancy Guthrie?
According to CNN, Nancy was seen last on Saturday night, Jan. 31, around 9:30 p.m. local time near her home in the Catalina Foothills, about 14 miles outside of Tucson. On Sunday, a friend from church noticed Nancy hadn't been at the service, so she called one of Nancy's children, according to PEOPLE. At about 12 p.m. on Sunday, a family member reported her missing.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that Nancy "did not leave on her own, we know that," and police believe she "was taken out of the home against her will." According to the Los Angeles Times, blood was found inside the residence. Officials are currently testing DNA found on the scene.
Nanos added that Nancy is “very alert, she’s of good, sound mind” and confirmed the family informed detectives that she doesn't suffer from any cognitive impairments such as dementia. He said the family "wants everybody to know this isn't somebody who just wandered off," in part because she is “not in good physical health.” Investigators believe there may have been an abduction or a kidnapping.
Jenna Bush Hager revealed on TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle that Nancy "takes daily medication and she needs them for survival," and she's without her medication right now. Nanos said "it could be fatal" if too much time passes between doses.
At a Monday morning press conference, Nanos said authorities believe “we do in fact have a crime scene." He told reporters that they found a “very concerning” scene at Guthrie's home. Law enforcement conducted a search using volunteers on the ground, drones, dogs, and a helicopter.
A homicide team has been brought in to assist. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.
The FBI is helping to investigate “hundreds of leads” as of Tuesday, and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is also assisting in the investigation. Authorities are not aware of any threats against Savannah Guthrie.
Nancy Guthrie ransom note?
On Tuesday afternoon, TMZ reported that it had received an “alleged ransom note” earlier that morning. The letter demanded “a specific substantial amount in Bitcoin” totaling in the millions in exchange for Nancy's release. It also included a Bitcoin address to send the funds. TMZ verified the address is real and said there is a deadline attached to the demand, but did not publicize the details.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office posted on X that they are “aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie” and are “taking all tips and leads very seriously.”
Savannah Guthrie's statement about her mom
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support," Guthrie said in a statement to TODAY. "We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.”
Sheinelle Jones also spoke up about the heartbreaking situation. "The people in this area, in this county, if you know anything if you’ve seen anything, no matter how small — we’ve heard people say that before — this is when people say, ‘You know what, let’s call in, let’s do what we can.’ So we’re sending our prayers but we’re also sending our collective action...We love you, Savannah.”
In a new statement posted to Instagram Monday night, Savannah asked fans to pray for her mother.
"We believe in prayer," she wrote. "We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him." She asked her followers to "raise your prayers with us and believe with us that [Nancy] will be lifted by them in this very moment."
