Savannah Guthrie Not on ‘Today’ Amid Search for Missing Mother, Gives Statement to Co-Hosts: ‘Our Focus Remains on the Safe Return of Our Dear Mom’

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Savannah Guthrie was not behind the desk on “Today” Monday morning amid the search for her 84-year-old mother Nancy Guthrie, but gave a statement to her co-hosts Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones asking for the public’s help.

“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” Savannah Guthrie said. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s office at 520-351-4900.”

It was first reported on Sunday that Nancy Guthrie had gone missing in Arizona. She has been classified as a “missing vulnerable adult” by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department due to her age.

According to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who held a press conference on Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance Sunday night, she had “no signs of cognitive issues” and is “very alert” and of “very sound mind.” Nanos also said that police found a “very concerning” scene at her house, though he did not give details. Tom Winter, who covers crime and security for NBC, joined Melvin and Jones to share the significance of that update.

“What they found there led them to this point where they thought this was something that required their urgent attention,” Winter said. “They were able to get out helicopters last night that use infrared cameras. They’ve got drones up. They’ve enlisted the help of the customs and border protection — obviously, not too far from the border there in Mexico. They have some special resources. The FBI is also aware of this case as well.”

Winter continued that it’s the “nature of what was found at the scene that’s got them so concerned,” adding: “We are withholding some details, as we would do with any investigation, to make sure that the investigation could go forward without us interfering in it.”

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the evening of Jan. 31 at her house near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue in Catalina Foothills, Arizona. Deputies say they aren’t sure what clothes she is wearing, but she is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.

Savannah Guthrie has been a co-host on “Today” since 2012 and currently presents the show alongside Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly and Jenna Bush Hager. She’s previously spoken about her close relationship with her mother on “Today.”

“When I was in my 30s, I really wished to be married and to be a mom, and things just did not happen that fast for me,” she said during a Mother’s Day segment in 2023. “And my mom’s confidence that I would be a mom — even as the years ticked by and ticked by and ticked by — meant so much to me. She said, ‘Of course you’ll be a mom, and you’re going to be a wonderful mom.’ And for her to have that confidence and faith was so meaningful to me. It got me through some really hard times.”