Savannah Guthrie’s mom missing in ‘concerning’ circumstances

“Today” host Savannah Guthrie’s mother has been reported missing from her Arizona home and local authorities say they suspect foul play.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday evening at her residence in a community northeast of Tucson, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Monday morning, Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed that detectives had upgraded their investigation from a missing person case to a criminal case.

“We do have a crime scene, we do have a crime,” Nanos said at a news conference.

“She didn’t leave on her own, we know that,” he said. “She is very limited in her mobility.”

Nanos declined to comment further on what led detectives to this conclusion, but said they discovered suspicious circumstances at her home.

“What we are hearing from the House is very concerning,” Nanos said at a news conference Sunday evening. Although he declined to comment on specifics, he stressed that Guthrie was “good and of sound mind” with no cognitive problems. She lived alone.

“This is not someone who just wandered off,” Nanos reiterated Monday morning. “She couldn’t walk 50 meters alone.”

On Monday morning, the “Today” hosts shared a statement from Savannah Guthrie that thanked viewers for their “thoughts, prayers and messages of support.”

“At this time, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mother,” the longtime “Today” personality and reporter wrote on behalf of her family. She encouraged anyone with information on her mother’s whereabouts to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

That call was echoed Monday morning by Nanos, who called on the public to report anything out of the ordinary or any possible sightings of Nancy Guthrie.

“We are asking for help from the community,” Nanos said. “We don’t need another tragic, bad ending, we need help.”

Nonetheless, he said their department remains focused on this case and is coordinating with any other agencies that may be able to help, including the Savannah Guthrie Safety Team. Nanos said she was not aware of any specific threats against the journalist that might be linked to her mother’s disappearance.

“We are doing everything we can to try to locate her,” Nanos said. “Every tool we have, we will use it.”

In this case, it is particularly urgent that Nancy Guthrie must take a specific medication every day.

“Medicines that, if she doesn’t take them within 24 hours, can be fatal,” he said.

It is not known when she would have last taken her medication.

Family members left Nancy Guthrie’s home around 9:45 p.m. Saturday evening, Nanos said. Someone at her church contacted them after she failed to show up for services Sunday morning.