Investigators have confirmed signs of forced entry at the Arizona home of US Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, as police continue to investigate the disappearance of the 84-year-old woman.
A person close to the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday that specific evidence found inside the home indicated a night-time kidnapping.
Several of Nancy’s personal items, including her mobile phone, wallet and car, were still at the property after she vanished.
The update came hours after the Today show host appealed publicly for help, asking for prayers to bring her mother home.
In a social media post shared on Monday, she described her mother as “a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant”.
She asked supporters to “raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. Bring her home.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said time was critical, as Nancy may not survive without her medication.
“If she’s alive right now, her meds are vital. I can’t stress that enough. It’s been better than 24 hours, and the family tells us if she doesn’t have those meds, it can become fatal,” Nanos said.
Nancy was last seen on Saturday night at her home, where she lived alone, and was reported missing on Sunday.
Nanos said someone from her church contacted a family member when she failed to attend a service, prompting relatives to search her home before calling police.
Officials say she has limited mobility and do not believe she left on her own. Nanos added that she is of sound mind.
Investigators are reviewing security camera footage from nearby homes and analysing mobile phone tower data.
Police are also reportedly examining information from licence plate recognition cameras in the area, with the motive for the disappearance still unclear.
Investigators do not believe the abduction was part of a robbery, home invasion or kidnapping-for-ransom plot at this stage, an anonymous source told the AP.
Nanos did not confirm whether the disappearance appeared random or targeted, and declined to describe the evidence found at the home.
Authorities have also acknowledged reports of a possible ransom note. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said anything received was being passed directly to detectives working with the FBI.
Nanos did not confirm the accuracy of the reports but said investigators had analysed a note and were taking it seriously. Authorities had hoped to keep the information private, but it became public after it was obtained by TMZ.
Search efforts in the hours after Nancy Guthrie disappeared involved drones, dogs, volunteers and Border Patrol, with the homicide team also assisting. By Monday morning, crews were pulled back.
“We don’t see this as a search mission so much as it is a crime scene,” Nanos said.
The sheriff and the local FBI chief held a press conference urging anyone with information to come forward, but revealed few new details.
For a second day, Today opened on Tuesday with news of Nancy’s disappearance. Savannah was again absent from the co-host’s desk as she remains in Arizona.
Savannah has previously spoken publicly about her close relationship with her mother, crediting her with holding the family together after her father died of a heart attack when Savannah was 16.
“She has met unthinkable challenges in her life with grit, without self-pity, with determination and always, always with unshakeable faith,” Guthrie said on Today in 2022.
“She loves us, her family, fiercely, and her selflessness and sacrifice for us, her steadfastness and her unmovable confidence is the reason any of us grew up to do anything.”
Anyone with information has been urged to contact local authorities.
Image: Instagram
