Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother was snatched from her bed in the middle of the night, the man leading the investigation told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview.
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing in Tucson, Arizona, at noon on Sunday by her family. She has not been seen since the night of January 31.
Now, haunting new details about her disappearance have come to light, with investigators believing that the elderly woman was abducted from her own bed.
Nancy lives in a $1 million home in Tucson, Arizona‘s affluent Catalina Foothills area.
Her phone, wallet, and car were all still at her home when police began looking for her, and detectives searched her property.
Lights in the common area were all on, and Guthrie’s front door was unlocked but there were signs of forced entry, the Daily Mail understands.
Police are going door-to-door to collect camera footage from neighbors in a bid to try identify a suspect, and officers are also searching for a vehicle of interest, a source said.
Nancy had been out with the Today show anchor’s sister for dinner and an evening playing mahjong before she disappeared.
‘She did not walk away,’ Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos told the Daily Mail.
‘We believe she was forced to leave that residence. It was against her will.’
Savannah Guthrie is seen with her mother, Nancy, who was reported missing in Tucson, Arizona, at noon on Sunday by her family. She has not been seen since the night of January 31
Nancy had been out with the Today show anchor’s sister for dinner and an evening playing mahjong before she disappeared. Her phone, wallet and car were all still at her home when police began looking for her and detectives searched her property
‘This is about an 84-year-old woman who is sick, who needs her medications, who, in the middle of the night, was taken from her bedroom.
‘If she is alive, she needs her medication and it’s been well over 24 hours.
‘That in itself could be fatal, and that’s scary.’
When asked if abduction is too strong a word to describe Nancy’s disappearance, Nanos replied: ’No’.
‘We know she could not walk out of that house. Talking to her doctors, we know she had some physical elements that definitely limited her.
‘She is very sharp-witted, of good mind, suffers nothing in the form of any kind of dementia or Alzheimer’s – nothing.
‘So we know she would know what was going on around here.
‘This was, in our opinion, someone entered her home in the middle of the night and removed her. It could be more than one person, we don’t know that yet.’
Nanos said nothing suggests that Nancy could have been smuggled across the Mexican border, which is only 60 miles from Tucson.
‘There’s nothing to indicate cartel or border issues, ‘ he said. ’Nothing like that.’
This follows the news that the Today show anchor, 54, who was set to co-host the opening ceremony for the network alongside Terry Gannon at Stadio San Siro in Milan, Italy, on February 4, is likely going to pull out of the gig.
‘There is no way Savannah will be there,’ an NBC source said.
Police on Monday said Nancy’s home was being treated as an active crime scene after aspects of the scene prompted ‘grave concern.’
Nancy left home without taking the medication that she needed to survive, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office said.
Jenna Bush Hager spoke through tears on the Today show Monday morning, saying: ‘I know her personally. And we want to just report, too, that she takes daily medication and she needs them for survival.
‘She’s without her medication. We are thinking of our dearest, dearest Savannah and her whole family right now in our prayers.’
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What do you think drives someone to target a vulnerable elderly woman in her own home?
Nancy was last seen near her $1 million home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills area on Saturday night. Neighbors described the chaotic scene as police searched for her on Sunday
Savannah, who was not at work on Monday, has thanked everyone for their thoughts
Nancy (bottom right) with Savannah (top right) and her other two children
Host Craig Melvin – who is among Savannah’s Today co-hosts to share messages of support on social media – conveyed how close to home the story was to the Today team, telling viewers: ‘This is very concerning to us.
‘We don’t typically get involved at a scene like this, but it’s very concerning.’
Savannah, who was not at work on Monday, issued a statement via Today on behalf of their family in which she thanked everyone for their thoughts, prayers and messages.
‘Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom,’ she said.
‘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.’
During a press conference, authorities said they did not know if Nancy had been targeted because she is Savannah’s mother, adding that no angles would be dismissed.
They also said they do not believe the public is in any danger.
