Search Continues for Savannah Guthrie’s Mother: What to Know

Authorities are continuing to search for the missing mother of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie amid suspicions she was kidnapped.

The NBC personality has called on suspected abductors to bring her mother Nancy Guthrie home after she went missing over the weekend.

While little is known about her disappearance, authorities have alluded to a potential ransom note.

Here’s what we know so far about the case and what authorities are doing to find her.

Initial Disappearance

Nancy Guthrie was first reported missing on Feb. 1, after she did not attend a church service.

A member of that church alerted the Guthrie family to her absence, which led them to visit her home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, north of Tucson. After going to her home, the family called police.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said Nancy Guthrie could not have left the home willingly due to mobility issues.

“We believe 100 percent right now she could not have walked away from that home,” Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters at a press conference on Feb. 2.

The sheriff’s office released biographical information about Nancy Guthrie on Feb. 1, the day she disappeared.

She is 84 years old, five feet and five inches tall, with blue eyes and brown hair.

She was last seen at 9:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Jan. 31 at her home, according to Nanos.

Nancy Guthrie’s daughter, Savannah, is a well-known public figure and anchor of NBC’s news broadcast “Today,” which is the longest running morning television show in the United States.

Alongside co-anchor Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie appears daily on the show’s morning broadcast to nearly three million people.

Ongoing Investigation

The investigation is being led by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, which believes that Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped.

“I believe she was abducted, yes. … She didn’t go willingly,” Nanos added.

Nancy Guthrie, he said, must be found quickly as she needs to regularly receive medication to stay alive.

On Feb. 3, the sheriff’s office announced that it was investigating reports of “possible ransom note(s)” regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

It did not confirm a ransom note existed, but the announcement came alongside a report by TMZ saying the outlet had received a copy that included a money demand.

Several other outlets also reported they had received ransom notes. It is unclear whether they are identical to the one received by TMZ, or if they are authentic.

Apart from the sheriff’s office, the FBI is involved in the investigation and search for Nancy Guthrie.

The office also said that the U.S. Border Patrol—which operates in the Tucson Sector of the border with Mexico—has assisted with the search.

“We’re downloading and analyzing cell phones, obtaining cell tower information, conducting interviews, and providing any and all investigative support,” Jon Edwards, assistant special agent-in-charge of the FBI’s office in Tucson, remarked at a press conference with Nanos on Feb. 3.

Investigators have completed their search of Nancy Guthrie’s home. “The scene is done. We’re done with the residence,” Nanos said at the press conference.

The sheriff’s office emphasized on Feb. 4 that it has “not identified a suspect or person of interest in the case.”

Public Response

On social media, Savannah Guthrie called for prayers for her mother’s safe return.

“Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in an Instagram post on Feb. 3.

Savannah Guthrie’s employer announced on Feb. 3 that she would not report on the 2026 Winter Olympics due to her family situation.

Celebrities, members of Congress, state officials, religious leaders, and news media figures, have commented upon the disappearance and called for her return.

President Donald Trump addressed the situation in remarks at the Oval Office on Feb. 3.

The White House later announced on Feb. 4 that Trump had spoken with Savannah Guthrie.

“I think it’s a terrible thing,” Trump said. He called Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance a “very unusual situation.”

The White House urged members of the public with information to contact authorities.

“The search for Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, is ongoing, and authorities are requesting assistance from the public,” the White House wrote on social media.

“Our prayers are with the Guthrie family as we hope for Nancy’s safe return home,” the White House wrote.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.