Senator Says Savannah Guthrie Called Him Before Calling Police About Missing Mother

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said on Feb. 8 that “Today” host Savannah Guthrie contacted him before she contacted the police to report that her 84-year-old mother went missing last weekend as the search for the woman entered its eighth day.

Late on Feb. 7, Savannah Guthrie, along with her siblings, Camron and Annie, released a video calling for the return of Nancy Guthrie and responded to alleged ransom demands. The elderly woman disappeared from her home near Tucson, Arizona, on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the next day. Officials have publicly said they do not have a suspect or person of interest.

“I first learned of it before it became public,” Kelly told the New York Post. “Savannah called me, because she knows I live here, and then I called the sheriff, and I called the Tucson Police chief.”

He said that it “was mid-afternoon on Sunday and Savannah was on the way to the airport” before adding that the “Today” show host was “obviously rather upset” when she communicated with him. Kelly then said the case is in “capable hands,” as the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Office are both investigating.

On Feb. 7, Savannah Guthrie told the potential abductors of her mother in a social media video that the family was prepared to pay for her safe return.

Flanked by her siblings, Guthrie said: “We received your message. … This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Investigators have said they believe that Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will from her home just outside Tucson last weekend. DNA tests concluded that blood on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a press conference on Feb. 5.

Multiple media outlets have received alleged ransom letters during the past week. At least one letter made monetary demands and established deadlines on the evenings of Feb. 5 and Feb. 9. Law enforcement officials declined to confirm that the letters were credible but said all tips were being investigated seriously.

The White House and President Donald Trump have said that the president called and spoke with Savannah Guthrie about the disappearance and that Trump said he would direct more federal resources to assist in finding the woman.

Also on Feb. 5, the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for any information that could lead to the discovery of Nancy Guthrie’s whereabouts or information leading to the arrest and capture of a perpetrator in the case. The bureau said in the news conference that it is taking the alleged ransom notes seriously and that there was a 5 p.m. deadline for that day and another deadline set for Feb. 9.

Authorities have said they have concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs to take daily medication and is fitted with a pacemaker.

Investigators have found that the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected and that software data recorded movement at the home minutes later. But Nancy Guthrie did not have an active subscription for the camera, so no images were able to be recovered.

“It is concerning, it’s actually almost disappointing, because you’ve got your hopes up,” Nanos told The Associated Press in an interview. “OK, they got an image. ‘Well, we do, but we don’t.’”

In an interview on Feb. 6, Nanos said that he believes Nancy Guthrie is still alive. However, he did not provide any more details about the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.