“TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie has opened up for the first time since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of Feb. 1, sharing an emotional and deeply personal account of the ongoing ordeal.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen the evening of Jan. 31 after being dropped home following dinner with family. When she failed to appear at a church gathering the next day, loved ones grew alarmed. What initially seemed like a possible medical emergency quickly escalated when authorities discovered signs of a struggle, including blood on her porch, and began treating the case as a suspected abduction.
In a candid interview with her former co-host and close friend Hoda Kotb, Guthrie described the investigation’s surveillance images as “absolutely terrifying,” adding, “I can’t imagine that that is who she saw standing over her bed. I can’t. It’s too much.”
Guthrie recalled the moment she learned her mother was missing. A frantic call from her sister shattered what had been an ordinary day. At first, the family assumed a health issue, noting Nancy’s limited mobility and chronic pain. “She can’t wander off,” Guthrie explained, emphasizing that her mother would not have left on her own.
Her brother, drawing on his military experience, quickly feared the worst. Guthrie remembered asking him, “Do you think because of me?” referring to her public profile. His response — “I’m sorry, sweetie, but yeah, maybe,” — has weighed heavily on her ever since. Guthrie said through tears, “I’m so sorry, Mommy, I’m so sorry,” and also apologized to her siblings and extended family. “If it is me, I’m so sorry.” Still, she stressed the painful uncertainty surrounding the case: “Honestly, we don’t know anything.”
Investigators have released images of a masked individual seen near the home, but no suspect has been identified. Authorities cleared family members early in the investigation, dismissing speculation Guthrie called “unbearable.” She firmly defended her loved ones, saying no one cared for or protected her mother more. In the weeks following the disappearance, multiple ransom notes surfaced. Guthrie said many appear to be hoaxes, though she believes a couple may be legitimate. “A person that would send a fake ransom note has to look deeply at themselves,” she said.
Guthrie shared that she wakes each night imagining her mother’s fear. “I wake up every night in the middle of the night. Every night,” she said. “And in the darkness, I imagine her terror… and it is unthinkable.” Despite the anguish, the family continues to hope. They have offered a $1 million reward and are urging anyone with even the smallest piece of information to come forward. In a public message, they asked the community to revisit memories, messages, or surveillance footage from the days surrounding the disappearance, emphasizing, “No detail is too small. It may be the key … We still believe in a miracle. We still believe that she can come home — hope against hope.”
Guthrie expressed gratitude for law enforcement’s efforts, but also made clear that her family cannot find peace without answers. She also offered a direct appeal to whoever may be responsible: “Someone can do the right thing, and it is never too late to do the right thing.”
As the search continues, Guthrie and her family hold on to hope while navigating an unthinkable reality. Law enforcement asks anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (520-351-4900) or 88-CRIME.
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