Savannah Guthrie was supposed to fly to Italy on Monday for NBC’s much-anticipated coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
But instead, Guthrie spent a heart-wrenching day in Tucson, Arizona, supporting a massive search for her 84-year-old mother, Nancy.
The elder Guthrie’s disappearance became national news on Monday as authorities described her home as a “crime scene” and asked the public for help finding her.
NBC mobilized its considerable resources to help one of the network’s biggest and best-loved stars. Guthrie’s co-hosts on the “Today” show shared the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s tip line phone number, 520-351-4900, all across television and social media.
This story “hits too close to home for our newsroom,” anchor Tom Llamas said Monday night, leading “NBC Nightly News” with the missing person case.
“The sheriff there tells me she was taken against her will from her bed in the middle of the night,” Llamas reported. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Savannah and her family right now.”
Guthrie, a 19-year veteran of NBC, joined the “Today” show cast in 2011 and was promoted to one of the main co-host chairs just one year later.
Over the years she has added other roles, including co-hosting NBC’s coverage of the Olympics opening ceremonies, which she was scheduled to host again this Friday at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, alongside sports commentator Terry Gannon.
Guthrie was also slated to anchor NBC’s first night of prime time Olympics coverage because the usual anchor, Mike Tirico, will be in California for the Super Bowl.
‘The worst phone call of her life…’
With that big international trip coming up, Guthrie spent much of last weekend with her husband and two kids.
But her plans were shattered when a family member called her and said Nancy was missing.
It was “the worst phone call of her life,” said an NBC producer who knows Savannah personally.
Authorities in Pima County, Arizona, said Nancy’s family members searched her home in vain before calling 911 to report her missing around noon local time on Sunday.
A source familiar with the matter said Savannah immediately scrambled to fly to Tucson.
On Monday morning, Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos said Savannah had been in touch with his office, and “she has a security team that’s been in touch with us throughout the night.”
The NBC host called herself a “daughter of the desert” in a “Today” show segment about her Tucson roots last fall.
In the segment, Savannah and Nancy dined together at a local restaurant — one of many times the host featured her mom on the morning show.
Nancy called Tucson “wonderful” during the segment: “Just the air, the quality of life is laid back and gentle.”
“I like to watch the javelinas eat my plants,” she added with a laugh, referring to pig-looking animals that are often seen in the area.
Savannah’s family history is well known to “Today” show fans. Nancy and her husband Charles lived in Australia, where Charles worked as a mining engineer, when Savannah was born in 1971.
The family relocated to Arizona when Savannah was young. Charles died of a heart attack when she was starting senior year of high school.
“We lost my dad suddenly and shockingly,” Savannah recalled in a 2023 interview. “And my mom was so strong, and set aside her own grief in many ways, just to be there and make sure we could all move forward together.”
‘We are praying’
On Monday, Savannah issued a statement on behalf of her family, thanking law enforcement and saying “our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom.”
The “Today” show typically relocates to the site of the Olympics for a long stretch of the games. It almost goes without saying that Savannah’s Olympics plans are on hold.
An NBC spokesperson had no comment on any changes, but a source familiar with the matter said Guthrie will not host the opening ceremony telecast.
Anchors and reporters across the network shared prayers for the Guthries on Monday. Llamas ended Monday’s “Nightly News” by saying, “Tonight, we’re asking for your help” to find the elder Guthrie.
“If you know Savannah then you know her mom — because she raised her, through some very tough times,” Llamas said. “Savannah has shared that it was her mother who taught her the power of prayer, the types of prayers that make you get on your knees and pray for God’s protection. Savannah and her family need your prayers tonight. They also need your help.”
“Savannah,” Llamas said, “we know how strong you are, we are praying, and we won’t stop until you find her.”
