Savannah Guthrie’s Mom Missing: Does Sheriff Suspect Foul Play?

Local law enforcement is speaking out after Savannah Guthrie‘s mom, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing in Arizona.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos addressed reporters during a news conference on Sunday, February 1, after the 84-year-old was reported missing earlier that afternoon.

“This is very concerning to us. We don’t typically get the sheriff out at a scene like this. But it’s very concerning what we’re learning from the house,” Nanos said. “And so we’ll just continue. The detective’s homicide team is out right now looking at the scene as well.”

Asked whether foul play was suspected, Nanos said that he was “not ruling it out.”

The sheriff further noted that there were “some concerns” about what was found at Nancy’s home, which prompted authorities to call in search and rescue and criminal investigation teams. Volunteers on the ground are helping to search, with drones, dogs and a helicopter also deployed.

“We’ve pretty much just thrown everything at this that we can,” Nanos added. “[Nancy] is 84 years old and is not of good physical health, and so naturally that’s a great concern.”

While Nanos pointed out that Nancy has a “sound mind,” there may be other limitations with her physical mobility. “We’ll be at this all night, processing the house,” he said.

A family member reportedly called 911 around 12 p.m. on Sunday to report Nancy missing. Savannah, 54, was noticeably absent from the Today show on Monday, February 2, as news continued to emerge about her family.

Sheinelle Jones instead joined Craig Melvin, with the duo immediately addressing the “deeply personal story” during Monday’s broadcast. The pair read a statement from Savannah addressing her family’s situation.

“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 statement read. “We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.”

Savannah has frequently praised her mom, who even appeared as a guest star on a November 2025 episode of the Today show when the journalist returned to her hometown. Several months prior, Savannah shared a sweet throwback photo of herself and Nancy in honor of Mother’s Day.

“I love you, mama,” Savannah captioned the post in May 2025.

In 2022, Savannah reflected on her mother’s strength and support while speaking with cohost Jenna Bush Hager.

“My father died when I was entering my senior year in high school. I then lived at home all through college. We didn’t have money to afford the dorm. And that was thing one, but the other was that my sister and I really felt like we should stick with my mom and not leave her alone,” Savannah said at the time. “But when I moved to Butte, Montana, this was it. And it was really hard for me to leave her.”

Savannah recalled how her mom “gave me permission” to leave. “She said, ‘If you can’t leave me, then I didn’t do my job right, Savannah,’” she continued. “She could have held onto me. … It’s not because she didn’t want me to stay. Of course she wanted me to stay. But she’s like, ‘I’m not going to stand in the way of your dreams.’”