“Today” Show co-host Savannah Guthrie visits the NBC morning show’s set for the first time in over 30 days since the investigation into her missing 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, began. Authorities describe Nancy’s disappearance as a possible kidnapping, but there is little to no evidence paving the path for her return.
Pictures released from Savannah Guthrie’s visit to the “Today” show studio show an emotional and grieving daughter, wiping away her tears and embracing her colleagues. It has been a long and heavy month for the Guthrie family, so this visit may bring a little bit of light to Savannah.
Savannah Guthrie Visits Colleagues
Savannah’s visit to the station was not televised, and she has yet to return to the morning show since her mother’s sudden disappearance. She has spent most of her time in the Tucson area with her family and pleading to strangers online for their mother’s return.
“Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her ‘Today’ colleagues,” a “Today” spokesperson said in a statement. “While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”
“Today” show co-host Jenna Bush Hager was tearing up on air as she spoke about Savannah’s visit to the station. “She said that she has the intention to return to the show, even though it feels like the hardest thing to do, it’s also her home and where she feels so loved,” Bush Hager said.
Bush Hager’s step-in co-host Sheinelle Jones said, “We’re not out of the storm, but there’s a light somewhere even in the midst of the storm,” in response to Savannah’s long-awaited visit. “I think her coming here and just being able to be with us, and for us to be able to hug her, I think it’s a step.” Jones told Savannah Guthrie that “Whenever you are ready, we are here.”
Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1 after she failed to show up at a friend’s home for an online church service. The friend called her family to make sure everything was okay, but unfortunately, things were far from it. Nancy was last seen at her daughter, Annie Guthrie’s, home and was dropped off at her own home in Catalina Foothills around 9:45 p.m.
Nancy’s disappearance quickly became a priority for local law enforcement and the FBI. It becomes a news spectacle, and the Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for their mother’s return. When Savannah Guthrie announced the enormous reward on her Instagram, she acknowledged that her mother “may be lost” and may “already be gone,” but that she can still “come home.”
Evidence in Guthrie’s Case
The first and most important piece of evidence recovered in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is the Nest doorbell camera footage. The camera captured images of an armed and masked man breaking into the woman’s home. He wore gloves and was carrying a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack, and was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with an average build.
The suspect has not been able to be identified, and authorities are working tirelessly to find out further information or uncover more clues. The Guthrie family has been cleared, and police are now looking into a possible getaway car, scanning all CCTV footage near Nancy’s home.
In an interview with Newsweek, a retired FBI agent pointed out that some of the details surrounding evidence in Nancy Guthrie’s case, or lack thereof, are concerning. “I think it is concerning that law enforcement has not made known any other details,” Jennifer Coffindaffer said. She referenced that the only thing we know about the suspect is what is shown in the camera footage.
Getaway Car
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos was asked about the car that was captured on a neighboring home’s doorbell camera, only 2.5 miles away from Nancy’s. “Look, what I would tell you is this: We’re aware of it, and we’re looking into it, just like any other piece of evidence,” Nanos said. “…We’re looking at that vehicle as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day.”
Coffindaffer said that was also concerning. “The takeaway from that was that law enforcement doesn’t have it identified,” she said. “And I think that’s concerning at this point because all those cars that are traveling on that road, which apparently are many during that time frame, it seems like right now it’s a dead end.”
While it is understandable that finding a license plate number or model of the vehicle can be challenging with low-quality video footage and take time, Coffindaffer believes “based on the urgency of this case, that they’ve done that, and they still haven’t been able to identify it, according to the sheriff.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), 520-351-4900, or 88-CRIME or visit tips.fbi.gov.
