UPDATE: With her voice quivering with emotion, Jenna Bush Hager, cohost of NBC‘s Today With Jenna & Sheinelle at 10 a.m. ET, opened the third Today hour with a plea for any information on the whereabouts of Savannah Guthrie‘s missing mother, the 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
“We need to start the show with something that is deeply personal for us this morning,” an emotional Bush Hager said. “Nancy Guthrie, Savannah’s beloved mom and somebody we adore around here has been reported missing in Arizona.”
After cohost Sheinelle Jones re-read the message from the Guthrie family – see it below – Bush Hager added, “We love Nancy, I know her personally….We are thinking of our dearest, dearest Savannah and her whole family right now. Our prayers obviously go out to Savannah.” Bush Hager reminded viewers that Nancy Guthrie requires daily medication that she might currently be without.
PREVIOUS, 5:48 a.m.: Savannah Guthrie was not present on Today this morning, as the search for her missing mother continues.
However, she did provide a statement to her co-hosts on the NBC morning show, Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones, calling on help to find her 84-year-old mom, Nancy Guthrie, who was reported missing in Arizona yesterday.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” said Savannah Guthrie in the statement. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s office at 520-351-4900.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is concerned for Nancy Guthrie due to her advanced age and physical frailties, though her cognitive abilities are working well.
Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters at a briefing over the weekend the elder Guthrie was last seen by family around 9.45pm on Saturday night. Deputies have been out looking for her this evening and asking for the public’s help in locating Guthrie. Also involved in the search were neighbors and trained search and rescue dogs. Foul play has not been ruled out.
Sheriff Nanos said aspects of the scene at her home had prompted “grave concern” among officers, without elaborating further.
Asked about the involvement of homicide detectives and whether that is standard procedure, the sheriff replied, “It’s not standard. Typically our homicide team comes out when he have a homicide, a body.”
He said that although no body has been found the homicide team was brought in this time “simply because what the scene was telling us.” They are currently “processing” the scene. “I hope we find her safe and sound, but we can’t ignore what’s in front of us,” he added.
