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Authorities in Tucson, Arizona, are urgently seeking to locate Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, host of the “Today” show. Officials suspect she has been kidnapped or taken against her will, emphasizing the critical need for her safe return due to her reliance on essential medication.
Nancy Guthrie was last observed at her Tucson home around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, where she resides alone. Her disappearance was reported by her family at noon on Sunday. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is actively investigating the circumstances, with spokesperson Angelica Carrillo indicating a potential overnight abduction.
Given Guthrie’s limited mobility, authorities doubt she left her residence voluntarily. Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed that Guthrie is mentally sound, dispelling any notions that her disappearance might be due to cognitive issues.
“This situation is not related to dementia. Nancy is mentally sharp,” Sheriff Nanos stated during a press briefing. “The family wants to clarify that she didn’t simply wander off.”
The alarm was raised when a family member received a call from a church acquaintance about her absence, prompting a search at her home and a subsequent 911 call. Sheriff Nanos stressed the urgency of the situation due to Guthrie’s medical needs and appealed for her immediate release.
“If she’s alive right now her meds are vital. I can’t stress that enough. It’s been better than 24 hours, and the family tells us if she doesn’t have those meds, it can become fatal,” Nanos said.
Searchers were using drones and search dogs to look for her, Nanos said. Search and rescue teams were supported by volunteers and Border Patrol, and the homicide team was also involved, he said. It is not standard for the homicide team to get involved in such cases, Nanos said. The FBI has offered to help, Carrillo said.
“This one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we located just looking at the scene,” Nanos said Sunday. He was not ruling out foul play.
On Monday morning, Nanos said search crews worked hard but have since been pulled back.
“We don’t see this as a search mission so much as it is a crime scene,” the sheriff said.
Even so, a sheriff’s helicopter flew over the desert Monday afternoon near Guthrie’s home in the affluent Catalina Foothills area on the northern edge of Tucson. Her brick home has a gravel driveway and a yard covered in Prickly Pear and Saguaro cactus.
Savannah Guthrie issued a statement Monday, NBC’s “Today” show reported.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” she said. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear Nancy.”
“Today” opened Monday’s show with the disappearance of the co-anchor’s mother, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. Nanos said during the Monday news conference that Savannah Guthrie is in Arizona. Savannah Guthrie grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at KVOA-TV in Tucson.
Nancy Guthrie appeared in a November 2025 story her daughter did about her hometown. Over a meal, Savannah Guthrie asked her mother what made the family want to plant roots in Tucson in the 1970s.
“It’s so wonderful. Just the air, the quality of life,” Nancy Guthrie said. “It’s laid back and gentle.”
She said she likes to see the javelinas, pig-like desert mammals, eat her plants.
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Billeaud reported from Phoenix.