Nancy Guthrie's home is being treated as a "crime scene." Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said. He said the 84-year-old's family had reported she had no cognitive issues.
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The weekend disappearance of “TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother is being investigated as a “crime,” Arizona authorities said Monday.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday night in her home outside Tucson, according to a missing person’s flyer. She was reported missing by her family around noon Sunday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
"We do in fact have a crime scene. We do in fact have a crime," Nanos said at a news conference Monday, later adding, "She did not leave on her own. We know that."
Nanos did not provide additional details on the investigation, though he noted law enforcement officials are reviewing video from cameras at Nancy Guthrie's home, where she lives alone and employs staff. The sheriff urged neighbors to "go through their Ring cameras," too.
He said search and rescue personnel who fanned out across the area Sunday had been sent home, adding that "right now, we don’t see this as a search mission as much as we do a crime scene."
Nanos said Nancy Guthrie needs to take medication on a daily basis to survive. "It could be fatal" if she does not take her medication, he said.
He said Nancy Guthrie's disappearance was not linked to dementia, describing her as being "of sound mind" and "sharp as a tack."
Authorities are not aware of any threats against Savannah Guthrie, who is in Arizona now. The FBI is aware of the case, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also assisting.
Nanos asked members of the public to contact authorities if they have information about the case.
"I need this community to step up and start giving us some calls," Nanos said.
Monday's broadcast of the "TODAY" show opened with an update on Nancy Guthrie, with co-anchor Craig Melvin calling it a "deeply personal story for us."
In a statement reported on air, Guthrie said in part: "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,” Guthrie said in her statement. "We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at: 520-351-4900."
In an earlier statement, the Guthrie family confirmed the missing person's case and said they were "working closely with local law enforcement."
Nancy Guthrie is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Her family last saw her at home around 9:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Nanos said.
"Miss Guthrie is 84 years old and is not in good physical health," the sheriff said. He noted her family reported that she had no cognitive issues.
Drones, an airplane, a helicopter, volunteers and search and rescue dogs loaned from CBP were all scouring the area for Nancy Guthrie, Nanos said.
The "TODAY" co-anchor has frequently discussed her close relationship with her mother over the years.
“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," Guthrie said in a 2022 tribute to her mother on her 80th birthday.
In a Mother's Day tribute on Instagram in 2024, Guthrie described her mother as "God's first, best and most important gift to me."
