It’s been over three weeks since Nancy Guthrie, the 84 year-old mother of the TODAY s how host Savannah Guthrie, went missing from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
On Tuesday morning, Savannah took to Instagram to offer a $1 million reward for her kidnapped mother. She also broke down in tears as she publicly admitted for the first time that Nancy might be dead.
Savannah’s Emotional New Plea
Savannah began her latest video by describing the 24 days that Nancy has been missing as being “agony.” She said that during that entire period, her family has been “fearing for her and aching for her and most of all just missing her.”
Savannah went on to become visibly emotional as she acknowledged that her family knows that Nancy may no longer be alive.
“We also know that she may be lost, she may already be gone,” Savannah stated. “She may already have gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in Heaven… and if this is what is to be, then we will accept it. But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.”
Savannah said that if Nancy is dead, her family will “accept it.” However, they also desperately need closure.
“But we need to know where she is,” the longtime TODAY host insisted. “We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads us to her recovery.”
Savannah Directly Addresses Nancy’s Kidnapper
Savannah proceeded to issue a plea directly to Nancy’s kidnapper.
“If you’ve been waiting and you haven’t been sure, let this be your sign to please come forward,” Savannah told the person. “Tell what you know and help us bring our beloved mom home so that we can either celebrate a glorious, miraculous homecoming or celebrate the beautiful, brave, noble and courageous life that she has lived. Please be the light in the dark.”
Savannah ended her latest video acknowledging that there are millions of families in their exact situation right now. That’s why her family has already made a $500,000 donation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Savannah applauded this organization for “helping families who are coping with loss and actively looking for those who are lost.”
“We are hoping that the attention that has been given to our mom and our family will extend to all the families like ours, who are in need, and need prayers and need support,” Savannah concluded.
Check out Savannah’s full video for yourself below.
Frustrations With Sheriff
Critics of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos within his own department believe that the $1 million reward is a sign of frustration when it comes to his handling of Nancy’s case. They believe that the FBI should take it over.
“The case is getting cold and the public interest is waning because Nanos refuses to hold press conferences like a normal agency leader,” one senior serving officer told Daily Mail. “This will hopefully spark more attention.”
“I hope the family’s next move will be to publicly demand Nanos hand the case over to the Feds,” this source added.
Nancy’s Disappearance
Nancy was last seen on the night of Saturday, January 31. That evening, she had gone to dinner with her daughter Annie and her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni. They brought her home at around 9:45pm that night, and she has not been seen since. It is believed that Nancy was kidnapped from her home in the early hours of February 1.
A masked intruder was captured on Nancy’s doorbell ring camera just before she was taken. He managed to cover it with some plants before moving forward with the kidnapping. It was just revealed that the masked man had been seen in the doorbell ring camera prior to the night Nancy was taken. This indicates that he may have been casing out her home.
Find out more about that in the video below.
This has clearly been an extremely tragic and horrifying situation for the entire Guthrie family. Please join us in saying a prayer for them, and for the safe return of Nancy Guthrie.