Arizona authorities believe mother of ‘Today’ host Savannah Guthrie was taken ‘against her will’

PHOENIX – Authorities investigating the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother believe Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Arizona home “against her will.”

The home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills area showed signs of forced entry, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video from nearby homes and working to analyze data from cellphone towers. Police are also reviewing information from license plate cameras in the area, according to the person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

The FBI is providing the Pima County Sheriff’s Department with analytical and technical investigative support on the case.

Detectives found DNA belonging to Nancy Guthrie at the house, but they have not confirmed if the samples were blood. A lot of evidence was still being processed as of midday Tuesday.

Investigators are still working to determine a motive and haven’t ruled out the possibility it was a robbery, home invasion or kidnapping-for-ransom plot.

“Sheriff (Chris) Nanos has stated that he believes that a crime has been committed,” Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Angelica Carillo said media advisory on Monday evening. “At this point, investigators believe she was taken from the home against her will and that includes possible kidnapping or abduction.”

The Guthrie home was turned back over to the family on Tuesday. The department added there is no credible evidence of the disappearance being a targeted incident.

Arizona sheriff asks community for help finding Nancy Guthrie

Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home near Skyline Drive and Campbell Avenue on Saturday night.

She is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

“We are asking the community’s help. This community has always stepped up to help us solve some pretty tough crimes. I’m looking for that again,” Nanos said during a press conference Monday morning.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call authorities at 520-351-4900, 520-88-CRIME (2-7463) or 911. Tips to 88-CRIME that lead to an arrest could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,500.

Authorities are urging community members to check their surveillance camera footage during the time from when Nancy Guthrie was last seen to when she was reported missing. She was dropped off at home around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, and her family learned she didn’t show up at church the next day around 11 a.m.

“Anybody that sees anything that even looks (like), ‘Hey maybe that’s her,’ just take a quick picture. Take a video. Send it to us,” Nanos said.

The sheriff’s department also set up a tip line QR code for the public to submit any photos or videos they believe are helpful to the investigation.

Nanos said the missing woman doesn’t have any cognitive issues but suffers from medical ailments and needs medication “that if she doesn’t have in 24 hours, it could be fatal.”

“She is very limited in her mobility, right? We know she didn’t just walk out of there. … There are other things at the scene that indicate … she did not leave on her own,” the sheriff said.

Her wallet, cellphone and vehicle were still at home, according to a SAFE Alert issued on Monday.

Nanos said his department received word that Nancy Guthrie was missing around noon Sunday. He said search crews worked all day and through the night to find her, “to no avail.” Guthrie lives alone but has staff that comes by to help take care of the house, he said.

“We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us,” Nanos said during a press conference Monday morning. “We believe now after we processed that crime scene that we do in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime.”

Nanos said the search and rescue mission, which included dogs, aircraft, drones, helicopters and heat sensors, has been shut down.

“They’re going to step aside,” Nanos said. “We’ll call them out again if we need to do more searching, but right now, we don’t see this as a search mission as much as we do a crime scene.”

Nanos said his homicide unit and other criminal investigation detectives are working on the case.

Savannah Guthrie issues statement about mother’s disappearance

The “Today” show website has a news story that includes a statement from Savannah Guthrie on behalf of the family.

“I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” the statement says. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case.”

“Today” opened Monday’s show with the disappearance of the co-anchor’s mother, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk on the New York City set. Nanos said during the Monday news conference that she is in Arizona.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is an updated version of a story that was originally published on Feb. 2, 2026.

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