Share and Follow
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — As of early Thursday, there has been no visible reaction to a heartfelt plea from NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie directed at the individual responsible for her mother’s disappearance.
In a video shared on social media Wednesday, Savannah Guthrie urged the alleged kidnapper to provide proof of life for her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie. Authorities suspect Nancy was forcibly taken from her Arizona residence. Savannah mentioned that her family had been informed of a ransom letter circulating in the media.
“We are prepared to communicate,” Savannah stated, reading from a prepared script. “However, in today’s world, where voices and images can be easily altered, we need undeniable evidence that she is alive and in your custody. We are eager to hear from you and are open to dialogue. Please contact us.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:45 p.m. on Saturday when her family dropped her off at her home after a dinner outing. Concern arose when she failed to attend church services the following day, prompting her family to report her missing by midday Sunday.
The family’s public appeal came after law enforcement officers spent hours searching Nancy Guthrie’s home and surrounding areas on Wednesday, leaving no stone unturned in their efforts.
Kevin Adger, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, said investigators had been at the home earlier in the week for a couple of days and then turned it back over to the family with the understanding they could go back if they needed to.
“This is a follow-up investigation,” he said in reference to officials returning Wednesday.
Adger said the sheriff’s department was not commenting on the video released by the family.
Multiple media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes Tuesday that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department had said it was taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.
The family’s message for Nancy Guthrie
Savannah Guthrie was at times emotional during the recording, with her voice cracking. She smiled and looked into the camera when addressing her mother directly, saying that the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.
“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter,” she said.
Savannah Guthrie described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” and said she was funny, spunky and clever.
“Talk to her and you’ll see,” she said.
Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron who both also spoke. Annie called their mother their beacon and said they need her.
“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.
No suspect identified
Authorities on Wednesday offered no detailed update on their search and their next news conference was scheduled for Thursday. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ office said detectives still were speaking with anyone who had contact with Nancy Guthrie last weekend but that no suspect or person of interest had been identified.
Nanos suggested there was video from some cameras, though he didn’t elaborate, adding: “That’s all been submitted and we’re doing our best with the companies that own those cameras or built those cameras.”
There were signs of forced entry at the home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood. Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. A sheriff’s dispatcher talking to deputies during a search Sunday indicated that she has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.
Jim Mason, longtime commander of a search-and-rescue posse in Maricopa County, isn’t involved in the search for Guthrie but said desert terrain can make looking for missing people difficult. He said it can be hard to peer into areas that are dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and other desert brush.
“Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,” Mason said.
Supporters around the country
A couple hundred people attended an evening vigil for Nancy Guthrie at a Tucson church where they heard prayers and placed lit candles on an altar. A priest prayed for God to comfort Guthrie and to bring her home to those she loves.
Afterward, Jeremy Thacker had tears in his eyes as he described the heartbreak and helplessness he was experiencing over Guthrie’s disappearance. He worked with Savannah Guthrie at a local news station and they shared losing their fathers at a young age. His own sister was kidnapped when he was young.
Thacker said he knew Nancy Guthrie to be sharp, grounded and earnest.
“We’re all holding our breath,” Thacker said.
For a fourth day Thursday, “Today” opened with Guthrie’s disappearance, playing the family’s video message in its entirety, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. NBC Sports said Tuesday that she will not be covering the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics “as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time.”
The “Today” host grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at Tucson television station KVOA. Her parents settled in Tucson in the 1970s when she was a young child. The youngest of three siblings, she credits her mom with holding their family together after her father died of a heart attack at 49, when Savannah was just 16.
___
Billeaud reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Michael Hill in Albany, New York, Darlene Superville in Washington and Julie Walker in New York contributed.