It’s been over two weeks since Nancy Guthrie, the 84 year-old mother of the TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie, went missing from her home in Tucson Arizona. Though Nancy remains missing, Savannah got some good news on Monday that might lift her spirits just a little bit during this terrifying time.
Guthrie Family Gets Good News
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos announced on Monday that Savannah’s family has officially been cleared as suspects in Nancy’s disappearance. This came after online speculation that Savannah’s sister and brother-in-law, who were the last people to see Nancy before she disappeared, might have been involved in what happened to her.
“To be clear … the Guthrie family — to include all siblings and spouses — has been cleared as possible suspects,” Sheriff Nanos said. “The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case.”
“To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel,” he continued. “The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple … please, I’m begging you the media to honor your profession and report with some sense of compassion and professionalism.”
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.
Police previously obtained a search warrant for Annie and Tommaso’s home. This only led to speculation about their involvement escalating in a big way. Judging by Sheriff Nanos’ latest statement, however, it appears clear that they were not actually involved in any way.
‘Bring Her Home…’
Last week, Savannah took to Instagram to share photos from footage of a masked and armed suspect who was spotted on surveillance footage in front of Nancy’s front door the night she went missing.
“We believe she is still alive. Bring her home,” Savannah wrote in the caption. “Anyone with information, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department 520-351-4900.”
Savannah later shared the video footage of this individual.
“Someone out there recognizes this person,” she wrote. “We believe she is still out there. Bring her home.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said that the “previously inaccessible new images” and video were “uncovered” by law enforcement. They reportedly showed “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance.”
Savannah Addresses Mother’s Kidnapper
On Sunday, Savannah posted an emotional video to Instagram in which she begged “whoever has her or knows where she is” to come forward.
“It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken,” Savannah said. “And I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope. And we still believe.”
“I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it’s never too late,” she continued. “And you’re not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here, and we believe, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being.”
“It’s never too late,” she concluded.
In the caption for the video, Savannah wrote, “Bring her home. It’s never too late to do the next right thing.”
Check out Savannah’s full emotional video for yourself below.
Sheriff Nanos ominously warned on Friday that it could take “years” to find Nancy.
“It’s exhausting, these ups and downs. But we will keep moving forward,” Sheriff Nanos told the New York Times.
“Maybe it’s an hour from now. Maybe it’s weeks or months or years from now,” he added. “But we won’t quit. We’re going to find Nancy. We’re going to find this guy.”
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.