Arizona investigators probing the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, said Monday they believe she was taken from her home against her will.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos previously described Guthrie’s home as a “crime scene.” She was taken “possibly in the middle of the night and that includes possible kidnapping or abduction,” his department said in a statement.
Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday night in her home outside Tucson. She has limited mobility and needs to take medication daily or “it could be fatal,” Nanos said.
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She had no cognitive issues, and her disappearance was not linked to dementia, he added, describing her as being “of sound mind” and “sharp as a tack.”
Guthrie’s family reported her missing around noon Sunday, setting off a search-and-rescue mission that included trained personnel, drones, an airplane, a helicopter, volunteers and search-and-rescue dogs lent from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“I think she was abducted,” Nanos told NBC News. “When you’re taken from your bed and you don’t want to go somewhere, that’s an abduction.”
The department later clarified that the sheriff was speaking figuratively and did not mean that Guthrie was literally taken from her bed.
Nanos said officials believe Guthrie was harmed when she was taken, but they did not provide other details.
“We know she was harmed at the home, but we don’t know to what extent,” he said.
But in a later interview with the Arizona Daily Star, Nanos refused to confirm or deny she was harmed, saying he “misspoke or something.”
Nanos has not provided additional details about the investigation. He has said investigators “saw some things at the home that were concerning to us” but did not offer specifics.
The community was devastated by her disappearance, Nanos told NBC News.
“This is just really sad for our community,” he said. “Savannah is family to us. She’s a big part of this community. Her family is devastated, the entire family. And you know, this just doesn’t happen in Tucson.”
Nanos confirmed that law enforcement officials are reviewing video from cameras at Guthrie’s home, where she lives alone and employs staff members. He urged neighbors to “go through their Ring cameras.”
Nanos asked members of the public to contact the sheriff’s office at 520-351-4900 if they have information about the case.
“I need this community to step up and start giving us some calls,” Nanos said.
Guthrie is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Her family last saw her at home around 9:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Saturday. She “is not in good physical health,” Nanos said.
Authorities are not aware of any threats against Savannah Guthrie, who is in Arizona. The FBI is aware of the case.
On Monday night, 88-Crime, a nonprofit group that works closely with the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies in southern Arizona, offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest of the person or people involved in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department confirmed to NBC News that it works “hand in hand” with 88-Crime and that it’s common for the group to offer rewards for tips during investigations.
Monday’s broadcast of the “TODAY” show opened with an update on Guthrie, with co-anchor Craig Melvin calling it a “deeply personal story for us.”
In a statement reported on the air, Savannah Guthrie said in part: “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,” she said in her statement. “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.”
Monday night, on social media, Savannah Guthrie posted a statement focused on prayers for her mother.
“we believe in prayer. 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.
"thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.
"we need you.
“'He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.' a verse of Isaiah for all time for all of us.
"Bring her home."
Savannah Guthrie has frequently discussed her close relationship with her mother over the years.
“She loves us, her family, fiercely, and her selflessness and sacrifice for us, her steadfastness and her unmovable confidence, is the reason any of us grew up to do anything,” Savannah Guthrie said in a 2022 tribute to her mother on her 80th birthday.
In a Mother’s Day tribute on Instagram in 2024, Savannah Guthrie described her mother as “God’s first, best and most important gift to me.”
Guthrie’s father, Charles Guthrie, died when she was 16. She is one of three children.
