Still no suspect in search for Today host Savannah Guthrie’s mother

Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie in 2023. (Source: Getty)

The search for Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother still had no suspect or person of interest today, authorities said, four days after she disappeared with signs of forced entry at her home in southern Arizona.

Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will over the weekend, and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said they don’t have credible information indicating Guthrie’s disappearance was targeted. Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. Nanos said she is of sound mind.

“Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs Guthrie,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement on social media Wednesday (local time). “Detectives are working closely with the Guthrie family.”

Multiple media organisations reported receiving purported ransom notes on Tuesday that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department has said it’s taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.

The Pima County sheriff and the Tucson FBI chief urged the public to offer tips during a news conference. Nanos has said Guthrie needs daily medication and could die without it. Asked whether officials were looking for her alive, he said, “We hope we are”.

Searchers were using drones and search dogs to look for Nancy Guthrie. (Source: Supplied)

Authorities say Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9.30pm Saturday (local time) at her home in the Tucson area, where she lived alone, and she was reported missing midday Sunday. Someone at her church called a family member to say she was not there, leading family to search her home and then call 911.

DNA samples have been gathered and submitted for analysis as part of the investigation. “We’ve gotten some back, but nothing to indicate any suspects,” Nanos said.

There were signs of forced entry at Guthrie’s home, evidence of a nighttime kidnapping, and several personal items were still there, including Guthrie’s cellphone, wallet and car, according to a person familiar with the investigation, who was not authorised to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Investigators were reviewing surveillance video from nearby homes, information from area license plate cameras, and analysing local cellphone towers data.

For a third day, Wednesday, Today opened with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. NBC Sports said Tuesday that Guthrie will not be covering the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics “as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time.”

The Today host grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at Tucson television station KVOA. Her parents settled in Tucson in the 1970s when she was a young child. The youngest of three siblings, she credits her mom with holding their family together after her father died of a heart attack at 49, when Savannah was just 16.