Credit: Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
Nancy Guthrie Update After Daughter Savannah Abruptly Leaves Today Mid-Show
Savannah Guthrie was abruptly pulled off just 90 minutes after going on air, more than three months after her mother Nancy Guthrie went missing.
The news anchor found herself at the center of a devastating news story regarding her own mother, after the 84-year-old went missing from her home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, on February 1.
Evidence recovered from the scene suggested the elderly woman had been taken against her will, after surveillance footage showed a masked person approaching Nancy’s home the night she disappeared.
Concerns over Nancy’s wellbeing were first raised when she failed to attend church on the morning of February 1, and when family members arrived at her home to check on her they found a number of worrying signs.
Blood stains were spotted near the entrance of her home, as well as signs of forced entry. When they went in the home, they found the mom-of-three’s phone, wallet and medication all still inside the house, as well as her car parked outside.
Savannah Guthrie made public appeals with her siblings
Extremely shaken by her mother’s disappearance, Savannah stepped away from her TV roles immediately, including her job on Today and presenting Olympics coverage, to focus on the search for her mom.
She did however make a number of public appearances to make desperate pleas appealing for any information that could lead to Nancy’s safe return.
The family went on to pledge a $1 million reward for any information that could lead to them finding Nancy, as well as a donation to missing children organizations in her name.
Speaking directly to the suspected kidnapper and flanked by her brother and sister, the Today show host said: “We are at an hour of desperation. We received your message, and we understand. We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her.”
Ransom messages sent to media outlets
In the days and weeks after Nancy’s disappearance, a number of media outlets and organizations reported receiving ransom demands.
The notes were said to be demanding various different sums of money to be paid in cryptocurrency, however authorities were said to be suspicious as to whether the ransoms were from the abductors or whether they could be fake or opportunistic scams.
One of their biggest concerns was the worry that AI could be used to create fake proof-of-life material in a bid to get Nancy’s family to hand over the cash. However, no verified proof that Nancy was alive has ever been confirmed publicly.
TMZ reported it had received messages demanding Bitcoin and claiming Nancy is deceased in Sonara, Mexico, however experts have said they believe this to be the work of ‘grief profiteers’ scams.
Latest update in the Nancy Guthrie disappearance
It has now been more than three months since Nancy was last seen by anyone and police have been searching high and low for any evidence the 84-year-old could still be alive.
Yesterday, May 6, CW aired a special titled NewsNation Presents: The Nancy Guthrie Mystery featuring clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Gary Brucato, criminologist, behavior analyst and attorney Dr Casey Jordan, and criminal profiler Dr Ann Burges, who shared their thoughts on Nancy’s disappearance.
Describing the masked person who was seen in the doorbell footage, Dr Jordan said: “This guy…based on what I know about this kind of prowler burglar who, as Gary points out, probably has some kind of minor league record, but it represents a fraction of all this stuff that he’s actually done.”
She went on to say the perpetrator ‘definitely lives locally,’ but is ‘probably not there anymore,’ and likely has already fled the country.
“I think he was either eliminated by a puppet master or he fled. And I’m not saying he’s Mexican, but it’s the closest border. And that’s where he would go,” she added.
“This is a guy who, on the day this came out, quit his job, left town, broke up with his girlfriend, changed his behavior completely.”
Dr Burges added: “The only thing I’d add there is to look for anyone that wasn’t working, that was just doing odd jobs kind of thing.”
Savannah Guthrie abruptly leaves Today mid-show
On the same day the documentary aired, Savannah abruptly left her post on Today, sparking theories she may have received intel regarding her mom.
Her co-host simply told viewers she ‘had to leave a little early,’ with no explanation, though stating she’ll be ‘back tomorrow.’
However, there has also been reports that NBC has a shorthand code to privately communicate to Savannah and assist in pulling her off the air if there are any developments in her mom’s case.
The 54-year-old presenter returned to her TV role in April following two months off.
Related Article: FBI Official Casts Doubt On Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Case
Related Article: Major Update In Nancy Guthrie Case As Sheriff Speaks Out On Kidnapper’s ‘Motive’
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