Four days after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie has issued a tearful plea to her mom’s potential abductor.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Today host, 54, posted a video to Instagram of herself, her sister Annie, and her brother Camron speaking out to their mother and Nancy’s potential abductor, with the caption “Bring her home.” “We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,” Savannah said. “As a family, we are doing everything that we can.
We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. 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.”Savannah went on to share that Nancy is “our heart and our home,” before expressing concern about her mother’s medical wellbeing. “She is 84 years old,” Savannah said. “Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer.”
Savannah reflected on how loved her mom is and all of the support their family has received, saying, “On behalf of our family, we want to thank all of you for the prayers for our beloved mom, Nancy. We feel them and we continue to believe that she feels them too. Our mom is a kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light. She is funny, spunky, and clever. She has grandchildren that adore her and crowd around her and cover her in kisses. She loves fun and adventure. She is a devoted friend. She is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you’ll see.”
Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman,” Savannah added. “You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley He is with you. Everyone is looking for you mommy, everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again. We speak to you every moment and we pray without ceasing and we rejoice in advance for the day that we hold you in our arms again. We love you.”
Annie shared, “The light is missing from our lives. Nancy is our mother. We are her children. She is our beacon. She holds fast to joy in all of life’s circumstances. She chooses joy, day after day. Despite already having passed through great trials of pain and grief, we are always going to be merely human. Just normal human people who need our mom. Mama, mama, if you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you.”
Camron concluded the video, saying, “We love you mama. Stay strong.”
Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie on Thursday, June 15, 2023
Savannah Guthrie and Nancy Guthrie.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
Nancy was reported missing from her home in Arizona at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1, prompting an urgent search for her whereabouts. According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD), she was last seen by family members around 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Savannah shared her first public statement regarding the situation with her Today colleagues, who read it aloud amid her absence from the show’s broadcast on Monday, Feb. 2.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom,” the anchor said.
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That same day, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos offered an update about the investigation and the Guthrie family’s reaction in an interview with PEOPLE.
“They’re just devastated like anyone would be. They are a family and they lean on each other,” he said, adding: “We’re just staying in touch with them and they know this community supports them as well.”
He further claimed that he believed Nancy was taken “against her will.”
Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie.Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
At a press conference, also on Feb. 2, Nanos revealed that Nancy’s home is considered a “crime scene.” He also made a “plea” to “anyone who knows anything about this, who has seen something, heard something, to contact us. Call 911. We don’t need another bad, tragic ending. We need some help.”
“This is an 84-year-old lady who suffers from some physical ailments, has some physical challenges, is in need of medication — medication that, if she doesn’t have in 24 hours, it could be fatal,” Nanos stated, noting that Nancy is “of great sound mind” and “did not leave on her own.”
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Later that night, Savannah took to Instagram to ask for prayers for her mom and thank those who have showed their support.
“We believe in prayer. we believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. we believe in goodness,” Savannah wrote in the post’s caption. “we believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him.”
She continued, “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 also quoted the Bible verse Isaiah 26:3, adding: “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,” the caption concluded.
Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie. Don Arnold/WireImage
On Tuesday, Feb. 3 — shortly after Nanos revealed that investigators still did not know Nancy’s whereabouts and were unsure how many people may have been involved in her kidnapping — PEOPLE confirmed that Savannah will no longer be covering the 2026 Olympics.
“Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement. “Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother. We will share additional information about our Opening Ceremony coverage plans soon.”
Savannah was set to serve as a co-host alongside Terry Gannon, with commentary from snowboarder Shaun White, in Milan, Italy during the ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6. Her former Today co-host, Hoda Kotb, is still scheduled to be in Milan for the duration of the event.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Savannah and her mom are “very, very close,” adding that “they’re like best friends.”
Another insider told PEOPLE that “Savannah and her mom are obsessed with each other.”
“Her mom is her world,” the insider said. “Nancy beams whenever she talks about Savannah.”
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