Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since Sunday, and authorities in Tucson, Arizona, are investigating her disappearance.
Chris Nanos, the sheriff of Pima County, told NBC Nightly News on Monday that officials believe she was “taken out of her home against her will.”
Nanos said Guthrie’s family had told him the elderly woman was on “vital” medications, and it could be fatal if she did not take them every 24 hours. Her family reported her missing around noon on Sunday.
He added that she has limited mobility and could not walk “50 yards” on her own.
Here’s what to know.
Who is Nancy Guthrie?
The older Guthrie lived alone in her home in Tucson, Arizona. In a missing person report shared on X by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, she is described as a 5-foot-5-inch-tall woman with brown hair and blue eyes.
She has appeared on “Today” numerous times, including when Savannah called her on air in 2012 to wish her a happy 70th birthday.
In 2022, for her 80th birthday, Savannah paid tribute to her mom on the show, calling her “a truth teller, whether you really want to hear the truth or not. She’s quick and she’s smart, she’s well-read, she’s curious about everything.”
She was last seen at her home outside Tucson, Arizona, on the evening of January 31, when she was dropped off after dinner with her family. She lives alone but has house staff.
The next day, Sunday, February 1, a friend called the family concerned when Nancy wasn’t present for Sunday service at her church.
After an hour-long search of the home and property, the family called 911. Authorities say her cellphone and car were left behind.
What do police think happened to her?
The Sheriff’s office said in an X update on Tuesday evening that it was investigating reports of a ransom note for Guthrie.
The FBI is also involved in the investigation.
“The FBI is doing everything in our power to bring Nancy Guthrie home to her family,” Jon Edwards, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Tucson, said in a statement at a press conference on Tuesday.
Edwards said the FBI is downloading and analyzing cell phones, obtaining cell tower information, and conducting interviews.
Authorities have been conducting a search using drones, a helicopter, an airplane, search-and-rescue dogs, and volunteers. Nanos also said that they have been investigating “hundreds of leads.”
They said they don’t know if Nancy was targeted because of her famous daughter, and are not aware of any threats to Savannah.
In a statement uploaded to the sheriff department’s X account on Wednesday, Nanos said investigators “have not identified a suspect or person of interest in this case,” and cautioned the public against “the sharing of unverified accusations or false information.”
The sheriff’s office later said it received a report on Wednesday of a possible trespassing nearby. “This case, in addition to all other cases within a close radius to the Guthrie home, are being reviewed,” they said.
On Thursday, the sheriff gave a timeline of the events:
New details include that at 1:47 a.m., Nancy’s doorbell camera was disconnected and at 2:12 a.m., software detected a person on camera, though no video was available. The doorbell camera has not been located, according to Sheriff Nanos. He also said that the blood found on the porch was confirmed to be Nancy’s blood.
At the press conference, the FBI announced that they arrested a California man accused of sending an “imposter ransom demand” for Nancy.
“It was someone that was trying to profit from it — a total imposter,” FBI Phoenix’s special agent in charge, Heith Janke, said.
Janke said the FBI is also investigating an additional ransom note that was sent to the media. The note included references to an Apple Watch and a floodlight, along with a monetary demand and a deadline.
The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nancy and those who are involved in her disappearance.
The difficult terrain in the area where Nancy went missing has hampered search efforts. Nanos told CNN on Thursday that the location is a “very suburban, rural area” of Tucson, “in a very mountainous side of town where vegetation is extremely thick.” He also added that the neighborhood is “not very well lit.”
What has Savannah Guthrie said?
Guthrie said in a video posted to her Instagram account on Saturday that the family “will pay,” appearing to respond to a ransom note.
“We received your message and understand,” Guthrie said alongside her siblings. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”
On Thursday, Savannah Guthrie’s brother, Camron, released a video urging the people who may have their mother to make contact with the family.
“Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward,” Camron said.
The 21-second clip was uploaded to Savannah’s Instagram account a day after she and her siblings shared a joint video pleading for their mother’s safe return.
In Wednesday’s video, Savannah said her family “will not rest” until their mother is back, and addressed those who may be holding her.
“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Savannah said. “We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive, and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.”
On Tuesday, Savannah had posted an image on her Instagram that read “Please Pray” with the following caption:
we believe in prayer. we believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. we believe in goodness. we believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him.
thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.
we need you.
“He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” a verse of Isaiah for all time for all of us.
Bring her home.
Savannah has been an anchor on NBC’s morning show “Today” since 2012. Born in Australia, she and her family moved to Tucson when she was a child. She joined NBC in 2007, and in her time there before “Today,” she was a White House correspondent and anchored “NBC Nightly News.” According to Forbes, she was the twelfth-highest paid TV host of 2025, earning an estimated salary of $24 million.
The host has not appeared on “Today” since her mother’s disappearance. She was set to be part of NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage in Italy this month, but an NBC spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter that she will no longer be attending.
