Savannah Guthrie’s mom missing in ‘concerning’ circumstances

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

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

On Monday morning, Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed that detectives have transitioned their investigation from a missing person’s case to a criminal case.

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

“She did not leave on her own, we know that,” he said. “She’s very limited in her mobility.”

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

“It’s very concerning what we’re learning from the house,” Nanos said at a news conference late Sunday. Though he declined to comment on details, he pointed out that Guthrie was of “good, sound mind” with no cognitive issues. She lived alone.

“This isn’t somebody that just wandered off,” Nanos reiterated Monday morning. “She couldn’t walk 50 yards by herself.”

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

“Right now our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom,” the longtime “Today” personality and journalist wrote on behalf of her family. She encouraged anyone with information on her mother’s location to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

That plea 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’re asking the community’s help,” Nanos said. “We don’t need another bad, tragic ending — we need some help.”

Still, he said their department remains focused on this case and is coordinating with any other agencies that may be able to help, including the security team for Savannah Guthrie. Nanos said they were not aware of any specific threats to the journalist that might be related to her mother’s disappearance.

“We’re doing all we can to try to locate her,” Nanos said. “Every tool we have, we will use.”

Particularly urgent in this case is that Nancy Guthrie needs to take a specific medication every day.

“Medication that if she doesn’t have in 24 hours, it can be fatal,” he said.

It’s not clear 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 reached out to them when she didn’t show up to services Sunday morning.