'Today' Show Host Savannah Guthrie's Mother's Disappearance Being Investigated As Crime

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of 'Today' Show host Savannah Guthrie, is now being treated as a criminal investigation by authorities citing 'suspicious' circumstances at the elderly woman's home. The 84-year-old was last seen at around 21:30 local time on Saturday at her home in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Arizona.

According to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, officials found what they described as a 'very concerning' scene. 'She is very limited in her mobility. We know she didn't just walk out of there. She did not leave on her own', said Nanos. 'We believe now, after we process that crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime, and we're asking the community's help'.

Family Reported Missing

Law enforcement authorities have been searching for Guthrie since late Sunday morning, when her family first reported her missing. The family received a call from a churchgoer who said they had not seen Guthrie for services earlier and they called the police. Guthrie's family dropped her off at her home just after 21:30 the night before.

The police said she was 'of sound mind' and 'as sharp as a tack' and they were not treating the sudden disappearance as dementia-related or connected to any other mental illnesses. Authorities are also looking through security footage of the house, whilst asking neighbours to look through their Ring camera videos. Homicide detectives are also searching through Nancy Guthrie's home for any possible leads.

'The family wants everybody to know this isn't somebody who just wandered off,' said Nanos. 'Her physical limits are based on just age.'

Nanos declined to say whether the 'Today' show host or her mother were subjected to threats recently. However, Nanos confirmed that Savannah Guthrie was keeping constant communication with the authorities since her mother's disappearance. 'We've pretty much thrown everything at this as we can', said Nanos. 'I don't need to tell you, this is very concerning to us. We don't typically get the sheriff out on a scene like this, but it is very concerning'.

Savannah Guthrie Speaks Out

Savannah Guthrie issued a statement following the news, having skipped filming Monday's episode of the 'Today' show. For Monday's episode, she was replaced by Sheinelle Jones, and they shared Savannah's statement over the disappearance of her mother.

'On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support', said the statement. 'Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mum. 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'.

The spokesperson for the Guthrie family confirmed that the disappearance is 'a missing persons case'. The spokesperson also reiterated that should anyone have any information, they should contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department. 'The family is thankful for the outreach, thoughts, and prayers', said the spokesperson.

Nancy Guthrie has occasionally made appearances on the 'Today' show since Savannah joined in 2011.