JUST IN: A NEIGHBOR HAS COME FORWARD — AND WHAT THEY REPORTED IS FORCING INVESTIGATORS TO SLOW EVERYTHING DOWN
Savannah Guthrie was supposed to be packing for Italy this week — trading studio lights for snow-dusted mountains as NBC’s coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics ramped up.
Instead, she was on the ground in Tucson, Arizona, living every family’s nightmare: searching for her mother.
Authorities say Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of Savannah Guthrie, vanished from her home in the Catalina Foothills area and is now feared to have been taken against her will. Investigators have described the home as a “crime scene,” and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department has asked the public to come forward with any information.
For viewers used to seeing Guthrie steady behind a desk each morning on Today, the story landed with a jolt — not because it involved a celebrity, but because it felt frighteningly ordinary. A loved one doesn’t show up. A door is left to questions. A family’s timeline fractures into “before we knew” and “after we knew.”
A planned Olympics week — replaced by the “worst phone call”
Guthrie had been preparing to travel for the Olympics coverage, with reports saying her plans changed abruptly after Nancy was reported missing.
According to reporting citing those close to the situation, the family realized something was wrong when Nancy didn’t appear as expected, prompting relatives to search before authorities were contacted. Officials say the missing-person report was made on Sunday, and the investigation escalated quickly as evidence suggested Nancy didn’t leave voluntarily.
By Monday morning, Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters that Guthrie was in contact with his office and that her security team had been coordinating with investigators.
“We believe she was taken”
The language from law enforcement has been unusually direct.
Investigators have said they believe Nancy Guthrie may have been abducted while she slept, and that evidence found at the home raised “grave concern.”
In dispatch audio reported by People, concerns were also raised about Nancy’s health needs: she reportedly has high blood pressure and cardiac issues and relies on daily medication. Officials emphasized that this is not being treated as a dementia-related wandering case, and that time matters.
NBC turns the spotlight outward
NBC’s response has been swift and deeply personal.
On-air, colleagues shared the sheriff’s tip line and urged viewers to help. And on Monday night, Tom Llamas opened NBC Nightly News with the case, calling it a story that “hits too close to home” for the newsroom.
Llamas reported that the sheriff believed Nancy had been taken from her bed in the middle of the night — and asked viewers directly to share any information that might help.
A mother viewers feel they “know”
For longtime Today viewers, Nancy Guthrie isn’t just a name in a headline. She’s appeared in segments with her daughter over the years — a warm presence from Tucson, where Savannah has often spoken about her roots.
That familiarity is what makes the story feel so intimate. It’s not a distant tragedy happening “to a celebrity.” It’s a mother many viewers have seen laughing on camera, now missing under disturbing circumstances.
In her own public remarks over the years, Guthrie has described her mother as a source of strength — especially after the death of her father when she was a teenager. That family history has resurfaced now as people try to understand how devastating this moment must feel: a woman who helped carry her family through one sudden loss, now gone herself.
“Our focus remains on bringing her home”
Guthrie released a brief statement on behalf of her family, thanking law enforcement and supporters and emphasizing a single priority: Nancy’s safe return.
It’s the kind of sentence families write when they don’t have answers — when every detail is being held close by investigators, and the only thing they can say publicly is what they want most.
Olympics plans on hold
While NBC has not detailed every scheduling change, multiple outlets report that Guthrie’s Olympics travel and hosting commitments have been affected by the crisis.
What’s clear is that the moment has pulled her out of the role she’s occupied for years — anchor, interviewer, the steady face on morning television — and placed her in a role no one is trained for: daughter waiting for news.
How to help
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department tip line:
520-351-4900 (as shared on air and in reporting)
Anonymous tips may also be submitted through 88-CRIME (as referenced in reporting)
For now, the family’s request is simple: keep looking, keep sharing verified information, and keep Nancy Guthrie’s name in the light until she’s found.
