The disappearance of Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother is being investigated as a crime — and Arizona authorities say they know the missing woman “didn’t just walk out.”
Nancy Guthrie, 84, went missing Saturday night from her home in the Catalina Foothills, just outside of Tucson.
Her disappearance is being investigated as a crime. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Guthrie was “limited in mobility” and “did not leave on her own.”
“Nancy Guthrie is of great sound mind; this is not dementia related. She is as sharp as a tack. Her family wants everybody to know that this is not somebody that just wandered off,” Nanos added.
He also warned that Guthrie takes medication that if she does not take in 24 hours “could be fatal.”
Authorities have shifted from a search operation to a crime scene, Nanos said.
“I hope we find her safe and sound, but we can’t ignore what’s in front of us,” Nanos said, noting authorities encountered aspects of “grave concern” during their search of Guthrie’s home.
Savannah Guthrie was absent from her show Monday morning. During the episode, co-host Jenna Bush Hager said that Savannah’s mother is without medication, “that she needs for survival.”
Key Points
- Nancy Guthrie's house is a crime scene and she didn't leave on her own, authorities said
- TODAY opens show with coverage of Savannah Guthrie's missing mother
- Police unsure if Nancy Guthrie was targeted because of famous daughter
Nancy Guthrie's neighbor calls disappearance 'highly unusual'
23:00 , Isabel KeaneA neighbor of Nancy Guthrie, who went missing from her Arizona home over the weekend, said her disappearance was surprising.
“It’s a very quiet neighborhood. It’s a very safe neighborhood. This is highly unusual, and we are very concerned about her,” neighbor Jeff Lamie told The Arizona Republic.
Lamie said that authorities were knocking on doors to talk to people and asking to see Ring doorbell footage.
He also noted there has been a “high response” to the disappearance, and that a volunteer rescue group searched through the night to try and find her.
Savannah Guthrie's close relationship to her mother
22:30 , Isabel KeaneToday show host Savannah Guthrie has previously discussed her close relationship with her mother on-air, who has been missing since Saturday.
The anchor lost her father, Charles, when she was 16 years old to a heart attack, leaving her mother, Nancy, as a single mother to Savannah and her two siblings, according to TODAY.
"My father died when I was entering my senior year in high school. I then lived at home all through college. We didn't have money to afford the dorm. And that was thing one, but the other was that my sister and I really felt like we should stick with my mom and not leave her alone," Savannah told Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager in 2022.
“But when I moved to Butte, Montana, this was it. And it was really hard for me to leave her,” she added.
Savannah said she recognized her mom’s selflessness in encouraging her to pursue her dreams.
"It's not because she didn't want me to stay. Of course she wanted me to stay," she said. "But she's like, 'I'm not going to stand in the way of your dreams. I'm going to tell you, go go go go go.'"
Nancy Guthrie has appeared on episodes of the TODAY show in the past
22:00 , Isabel KeaneNancy Guthrie, the missing mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, has appeared on the NBC morning show several times in the past.
The 84-year-old most recently appeared on the show in November during a segment to promote tourism in Tucson, Arizona, where she currently lives.
In 2013, Guthrie appeared to tell the show’s audience how to make a bed properly.
“When I was in my 30s, I really wished to be married and to be a mom, and things just did not happen that fast for me,” Savannah once told viewers.
“And my mom’s confidence that I would be a mom — even as the years ticked by and ticked by and ticked by — meant so much to me.
“She said, ‘Of course you’ll be a mom, and you’re going to be a wonderful mom,” Savannah continued. “And for her to have that confidence and faith was so meaningful to me.
“It got me through some really hard times.”
Savannah is the youngest of Nancy’s three children with husband Charles Guthrie.
Authorities using artificial intelligence, looking at surveillance footage in case
21:30 , Isabel KeaneArizona authorities are utilizing technology, including artificial intelligence, to try to solve the case.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said his department is using license plate readers, “our camera systems throughout the community, anything, everything.”
He confirmed that Nancy Guthrie’s home had surveillance cameras that authorities were looking through, as well as the missing woman’s cell phone.
Nanos also noted the department’s use of AI, which he said was “extremely valuable to solving crimes just like this.”
Savannah Guthrie set to drop out of hosting Winter Olympics opening ceremony: Report
20:48 , Isabel KeaneToday show host Savannah Guthrie is expected to drop out of hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony for NBC as her mom, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing.
Savannah Guthrie was set to arrive in Italy on Friday for the start of the 2026 Games, but will likely no longer be in attendance, sources told Page Six.
She was going to stay in Italy for a week and record Today alongside her former co-host Hoda Kotb, who is expected to be at the Olympics, per the report.
“There is no way Savannah will be there,” an NBC source told the outlet.
She previously hosted the Olympic opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Family alerted to disappearance when Nancy Guthrie didn't show up at church
19:30 , Isabel KeaneThe family of Nancy Guthrie says they were alerted to her disappearance after someone at their church called to say she didn’t come to church.
Her family received a call from someone saying that Guthrie, whose daughter Savannah Guthrie hosts the Today show, was missing at church Sunday morning, authorities said.
The family then went to her house in Tucson to look for her before calling the police.
Guthrie lives alone and has house staff, some of whom contacted the sheriff’s office, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
Police unsure if Nancy Guthrie was targeted because of famous daughter
18:55 , Isabel KeaneAuthorities in Arizona said they did not know if Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her home Saturday, was targeted because she is the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Monday that Guthrie, 84, has limited mobility and that she didn’t walk out of the house on her own.
Nanos later told reporters that Guthrie “could not walk 50 yards on her own.”
However, police do not know if Guthrie was targeted because of her daughter.
“We’re not going to dismiss any angles for sure, but right now immediately we don’t know of anything like that,” he said.
Authorities do not believe the public is in any danger.
They also have not shared any details about why her home is being treated as a crime scene, with Nanos saying “it would be inappropriate at this time” to share.
TODAY opens show with coverage of Savannah Guthrie's missing mother
18:23 , Isabel KeaneThe Today show opened Monday with coverage of host Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, 84, who vanished from her Arizona home over the weekend.
“Let me get right to what is a deeply personal story for us,” host Craig Melvin began the show.
Melvin later read a statement from Savannah Guthrie on behalf of her family.
“I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom,” the statement read.
“We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case, and encourage anyone...anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.”
Nancy Guthrie's house is a crime scene and she didn't leave on her own, authorities said
18:05 , Isabel KeaneAuthorities in Arizona say they’re considering Nancy Guthrie’s house a crime scene.
“We believe now, after we’ve processed that crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during a press conference Monday.
“She is very limited in mobility. We know she didn’t just walk out there, that we know. There are other things at the scene that indicate she did not leave on her own, we know that,” Nanos said.
The 84-year-old is being treated as a “vulnerable adult” due to her age, not because she has any known cognitive issues, the sheriff’s office said.
“Nancy Guthrie is of great sound and mind, this is not dementia related. She is as sharp as a tack. Her family wants everybody to know, this is not somebody that just wandered off,” Nanos added.
She also takes medication that if she does not have in 24 hours “could be fatal” Nanos said Monday.
The sheriff said investigators are not ruling out foul play.
Sheriff reveals ‘crime scene’ after Savannah Guthrie’s ‘sharp as a tack’ mother Nancy goes missing
17:54 , Isabel KeaneArizona authorities say the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother is being investigated as a crime, as the Today show host’s mom has “limited mobility” and “did not leave on her own.”
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished Saturday between 9:30 pm and 9:45 pm at her home in the Catalina Foothills, just outside of Tucson, Arizona.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed the disappearance was being investigated as a crime during a press conference Monday morning.
“We believe now, after we’ve processed that crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime,” Nanos said.
