“Today” host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, 84, is missing in the Catalina Foothills area of Arizona in what Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News he believes was an abduction from her home while she slept. “I believe she was abducted, yes,” Nanos said. “She didn’t walk from there. She didn’t go willingly.”
Authorities are treating the disappearance as a crime and have asked neighbors to review home security footage. “We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us,” Nanos said, adding that after processing the scene investigators concluded it is a crime scene and are seeking the community’s help. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s missing-person flier describes Nancy Guthrie as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and weighing about 150 pounds.
Nanos said Nancy Guthrie is “very limited in her mobility” — the family told investigators she “couldn’t walk 50 yards” — so deputies believe she could not have gone far unless removed from the home. She requires daily medication; the sheriff warned that “the clock is literally ticking,” noting it had been more than 24 hours since her disappearance. Nanos emphasized she is of “great sound mind,” and the family says this is not a dementia-related wandering.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday. When she failed to attend church the next morning, family members checked her home and called 911. Officials have not disclosed specific details of what was found at the scene, citing the ongoing investigation; Sgt. David Stivers described the circumstances at the home as “suspicious in nature.”
Investigators are examining security-camera footage from inside the home, reviewing Nancy Guthrie’s cellphone and checking license-plate readers and other surveillance cameras for leads. The FBI is assisting, two sources told CBS News. Search-and-rescue teams used drones, helicopters and heat sensors overnight but were later stood down as the response shifted from a search mission to a criminal investigation. Nanos said he did not know whether Guthrie was harmed when she was removed from the home and that there did not appear to be an active threat to the public.
Authorities asked nearby residents to review their security footage, especially between about 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Sunday; the department said it is starting with a narrow time window and will expand outward. Nanos urged anyone who thinks they see Nancy Guthrie to take a photo or video and alert authorities; the sheriff’s office can download and review digital evidence. The family is cooperating with investigators.
Savannah Guthrie released a statement thanking people for their “thoughts, prayers and messages of support” and said the family’s focus remains on the safe return of their mother. Later, on Instagram, she asked supporters to “raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.