Savannah Guthrie feared her mother may have been targeted because of her fame
Savannah Guthrie feared her mother may have been targeted because of her fame
Over a month has passed since Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home. Her disappearance, reported on February 1, sparked a nationwide search after she missed a virtual church service at a friend’s residence. Authorities confirmed she was last seen the previous evening, around 9:45 p.m., following dinner at her daughter Annie Guthrie’s house.
Shock and Uncertainty in the Family
Savannah Guthrie, in her first post-disappearance interview, recounted the anguish of suspecting her mother’s fate. “I don’t know that it’s because she’s my mom and somebody thought, ‘Oh, that lady has money. We can … make a quick buck,’” she shared with Hoda Kotb. “But we don’t know. Which is too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside. That it’s because of me.”
“Even on the phone when I called him, he knew,” Savannah Guthrie said. “He said, ‘I think she’s been kidnapped for ransom.’ And I said, ‘What? Well, why? What?’”
Her brother, described as “brilliant” with a military career, quickly grasped the severity of the situation. “It sounds so, like, how dumb could I be? But I just — I didn’t wanna believe. I just said, ‘Do you think because of me?’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry, sweetie, but yeah, maybe.’”
Clues Point to a Deliberate Abduction
The Guthrie family noted several unsettling details. Nancy, who suffers from chronic pain due to a bad back, was unlikely to have wandered off. “On a good day, she could walk down to the mailbox and get the mail, but most days not,” Savannah explained. “So, there wasn’t a wander-off. And the doors were propped open, and there was blood on the front doorstep, and the Ring camera had been yanked off.”
Initially, the family speculated a medical emergency might have occurred, believing paramedics had been called. However, the presence of her belongings at the scene suggested otherwise. Within hours of realizing her mother’s absence, Savannah boarded a plane to Tucson, joining a relentless investigation involving state and federal agencies.
Ransom Notes and Family Appeals
Savannah has expressed belief in two ransom notes received by the family. “There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came. And I think most of them, it’s my understanding, are not real,” she stated. “But I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”
“I’d just say, ‘I’m so sorry, Mommy. I’m so sorry.’ I’m so sorry to my sister and my brother and my kids and my nephew and Tommy, my brother-in-law,” Savannah said. “If it is me, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Recently, the family released a heartfelt video on Instagram, pleading for information about Nancy’s whereabouts. “How is it possible,” Savannah reflected, “that we’re still searching after so many weeks? It’s surreal.” They have also offered a $1 million reward for her safe return, emphasizing their willingness to engage with those who might know her location.
