Homicide investigators have joined the desperate search forToday show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother after she disappeared on Saturday night.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished 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 has confirmed that foul play is not being ruled out and that drones, aircraft and dog teams, loaned from Customs and Border Protection forces, are being deployed.
He told reporters at a press conference that “concerning evidence” had been found, which prompted homicide investigators to be drafted in.
“This one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we found and located just in looking at the scene,” he said, although he did not elaborate on what officers had uncovered.
“We hope we find her safe and sound, but we are very concerned,” he added.
The sheriff’s office has said that the missing woman is being treated as a “vulnerable adult” due to her age, but that she is not known to have any “cognitive issues.”
Guthrie’s family has issued a statement: “We can confirm this is a missing persons case, and the family is working closely with local law enforcement.”
Nancy Guthrie is described as being 5 feet five inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office.
Guthrie has featured on episodes of the Today show in the past.
“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.”
The anchor spoke about her mother again on the program in 2022, when she credited her illustrious career to Nancy’s parenting.
“She loves us, her family, fiercely, and her selflessness and sacrifice for us, her steadfastness and her unmovable confidence is the reason any of us grew up to do anything,” Savannah said on her mother’s 80th birthday.
