“TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie is asking for prayers for her mother’s safe return as Arizona authorities continue to investigate her possible abduction.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing around noon Sunday from her home outside Tucson after she failed to show up to church, and her family searched her home and property for nearly an hour, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News. She was last seen the night before, at around 9:45 p.m., when family dropped her off at home.
Initially a search and rescue operation, Nanos said Monday that officials are treating her disappearance as a “crime” and the department believes she was taken “possibly in the middle of the night and that includes possible kidnapping or abduction.”
Savannah, who was absent from the “TODAY” show Monday and Tuesday, expressed her gratitude for the support in an Instagram post Monday night — and asked for prayers for her mother’s safe return.
“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,” Savannah wrote in a caption to an image that reads “Please pray.”
“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,” Savannah added. “We need you.”
Nancy Guthrie.Pima County Sheriff’s Department
Guthrie has limited mobility and is without her necessary daily medication. She has no cognitive issues and her disappearance was not linked to dementia, Nanos previously said, describing her as “sharp as a tack.”
“We know she was harmed at the home, but we don’t know to what extent,” Nanos told NBC News.
In a later interview with the Arizona Daily Star, Nanos refused to confirm or deny she was harmed, saying he “misspoke or something.”
Nanos has not provided additional details about the investigation, but previously said authorities are not aware of any threats against the “TODAY” co-anchor, who is now in Arizona. The FBI is aware of the case.
As the investigation continues, Nanos said law enforcement officials have her cell phone and car and are reviewing video from cameras at Guthrie’s home, where she lives alone and employs staff members. He urged her neighbors to “go through their Ring cameras.”
He also asked the public for any information about the case.
“I need this community to step up and start giving us some calls,” he said.
A nonprofit group that works closely with the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies in southern Arizona, 88-Crime, offered a reward of up to $2,500 Monday night for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in Guthrie’s disappearance.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department confirmed to NBC News that it works “hand in hand” with 88-Crime and that it’s common for the group to offer rewards for tips during investigations.
“‘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,” Savannah added in her Instagram post. “Bring her home.”
