After taking time off to be with her family amid her mother Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, Savannah Guthrie returned to the Today anchor desk on April 6, 2026. Since her return, however, she’s missed several broadcasts, including the June 17 episode.
Viewers immediately noticed Savannah’s spot was empty at the start of Today, with co-anchor Craig Melvin beginning the show without her. He addressed the inevitable curiosity right away, clarifying that Savannah’s currently “on assignment” and would not be on the show. Sheinelle Jones, the co-host of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, stepped in for Savannah while she was away.
Savannah’s most recent Today absence follows reports that the motive for Nancy’s alleged kidnapping has finally been identified. On June 13, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer took to X and revealed a major breakthrough in Nancy’s case. “It’s the biggest public break in Nancy’s Case, as CertiK, arguably the leading crypto security company in the world, has designated Nancy’s abduction as a wrench attack by proxy,” she wrote.
According to TRM Labs, a wrench attack refers to a “situation where physical force or intimidation is used to compel a victim to surrender access to their cryptocurrency holdings.”
“The term originates from a webcomic illustrating that, regardless of sophisticated encryption, an attacker could simply threaten someone with a wrench to obtain their password,” they continued. “In the crypto context, this translates to criminals bypassing digital security by targeting individuals directly, often through physical violence or threats of violence.”
Coffindaffer also posted a screenshot from CertiK, which read, “The 84-year-old mother of journalist Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped as part of a $6 million bitcoin ransom demand, illustrating the documented trend of proxy target selection already identified in our 2025 report.”
“Does CertiK have knowledge as to if Savannah has a Bitcoin account?” she said, adding, “This is a huge breakthrough. Times have changed. And how these networks operate is new to LE [law enforcement]. Unless LE knows who took Nancy, then a wrench by proxy is on the table. CertiK seems to know,” she said.
This all comes after the Mexican missing person search group Buscando Corazones reported receiving an anonymous tip claiming Guthrie’s remains were buried in an unmarked grave near the Mexican border.
On June 11, group leader Ramona Guadalupe Ayala Ortiz told El Imparcial that they received the tip just a day earlier, on June 10, and began searching for Guthrie right away.
“We received an anonymous call telling us that the woman’s remains were in the Mariposa area in a grave over a stream,” Ayala Ortiz said, “and this time we came to explore this stream that we failed to explore in the first intervention.”
Later that same day, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement clarifying they had not been in touch with Mexican authorities about the tip or search efforts. “We are aware of reports regarding an anonymous tip related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation that was provided to a group in Mexico,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said on X. “At this time, we have not been contacted by Mexican authorities.”
“This investigation remains active and ongoing, and we will continue to follow up on any credible information,” he added.
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