The disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie over the weekend is being investigated as a crime based on what authorities saw at her home, an Arizona sheriff said Monday.
Speaking during a news conference, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said there are signs at the home indicating Nancy Guthrie did not leave on her own.
“I need this community to step up and start giving us some calls,” Nanos said.
Asked to explain why investigators believe it’s a crime scene, Nanos said Nancy Guthrie has limited mobility and said there were other things that indicated she did not leave on her own, but declined to further elaborate.
The sheriff said Nancy Guthrie, who lived alone, was of sound mind. “This is not dementia-related. She’s as sharp as a tack. The family wants everyone to know that this isn’t someone who just wandered off,” Nanos said. He said she needs her daily medication.
Nanos said at a news conference Sunday night that Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at her home in the Tucson area. Her family reported her missing around noon Sunday. The sheriff said a family member received a call from someone at church saying Nancy Guthrie wasn’t there, leading family to search for her at her home and then calling 911.
This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department via AP
Searchers were using drones and search dogs to look for Nancy Guthrie, Nanos said. Search and rescue teams were supported by volunteers and Border Patrol and the homicide team was also involved, he said. It is not standard for the homicide team to get involved in such cases, Nanos said.
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“This one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we located just looking at the scene,” Nanos said Sunday. He was not ruling out foul play.
On Monday morning, Nanos said search crews worked hard but have since been pulled back. “We don’t see this as a search mission so much as it is a crime scene,” the sheriff said. Savannah Guthrie issued a statement on Monday, NBC’s Today show reported.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” she said. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear Nancy.”
Today opened Monday’s show with the disappearance of the co-anchor’s mother, but Savannah was not at the anchor’s desk. Nanos said during the Monday news conference that she is in Arizona. Savannah grew up in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona.
Nancy Guthrie appeared in a November 2025 story her daughter did about her hometown. Over a meal, Savannah asked her mother what made the family want to plant roots in Tucson in the 1970s.
“It’s so wonderful. Just the air, the quality of life,” Nancy said. “It’s laid back and gentle.”
© 2026 The Canadian Press
