Police believe the 84-year-old mother of a US TV anchor Savannah Guthrie was abducted from her bed in the middle of the night after vanishing from her Arizona home.
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing by family members shortly before noon on Sunday, having last been seen at her home in Tucson’s affluent Catalina Foothills area late on Saturday night.
Detectives now believe she was taken against her will during the early hours, leaving behind her phone, wallet, car and vital medication.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told the Daily Mail that investigators are convinced she did not leave voluntarily.
‘She did not walk away,’ he said. ‘We believe she was forced to leave that residence. It was against her will.’
He added: ‘This is about an 84-year-old woman who is sick, who needs her medications, who in the middle of the night was taken from her bedroom.
‘If she is alive, she needs her medication and it’s been well over 24 hours. That in itself could be fatal, and that’s scary.’
Her daughter Savannah Guthrie, 54, who was due to co-host NBC’s Olympic coverage from Milan this week, has pulled out of the appearance.
An NBC source said: ‘There is no way Savannah will be there.’
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Savannah Guthrie is seen with her mother Nancy Guthrie. Nancy was reported missing in Tucson, Arizona, at noon on Sunday by her family. She hadn’t been seen since the night of January 31
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Nancy was last seen near her $1 million home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills area on Saturday night. Neighbors described the chaotic scene as police searched for her on Sunday
Nancy lives alone in a $1million property, where detectives found lights left on in communal areas and the front door unlocked.
There were no obvious signs of forced entry, but police say elements of the scene caused ‘grave concern’, prompting homicide detectives to assist and the FBI to be notified.
When asked whether the word abduction was appropriate, Sheriff Nanos replied: ‘No,’ before explaining: ‘We know she could not walk out of that house. Talking to her doctors, we know she had some physical elements that definitely limited her.’
He added: ‘She is very sharp witted, of good mind, suffers nothing in the form of any kind of dementia or Alzheimer’s – nothing. So we know she would know what was going on around here.’
Investigators believe someone entered her home during the night. ‘This was, in our opinion, someone entered her home in the middle of the night and removed her. It could be more than one person, we don’t know that yet,’ Nanos added.
Nancy had spent Saturday evening having dinner and playing mahjong with Savannah Guthrie’s sister before returning home. She was last seen near her house at around 9.45pm. Family members raised the alarm the following morning after she failed to attend church.
Police are now conducting door-to-door inquiries, collecting doorbell and security camera footage and searching for a vehicle of interest.
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Savannah is pictured embracing her mother in 2020
Helicopters, drones with infrared cameras, search dogs and volunteer rescue teams have been deployed, while Customs and Border Protection have joined the effort due to the home’s proximity to the Mexican border.
However, Nanos said: ‘There’s nothing to indicate cartel or border issues. Nothing like that.’
Neighbours described an intense police presence on Sunday night, with flashing lights and a helicopter circling overhead.
One resident said the level of activity was ‘very unusual’ for the normally quiet neighbourhood.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office has urged residents to check home surveillance footage and report anything suspicious.
Authorities said they do not believe the public is in danger and are not ruling out any investigative angles, including whether Nancy was targeted because of her daughter’s high-profile career.
On Monday morning, emotion spilled onto national television as Today show co-host Jenna Bush Hager addressed viewers through tears.
‘I know her personally,’ she said. ‘And we want to just report, too, that she takes daily medication and she needs them for survival. She’s without her medication. We are thinking of our dearest, dearest Savannah and her whole family right now in our prayers.’
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Nancy (bottom right) is pictured with Savannah (top right) and her siblings
Savannah issued a statement through NBC saying: ‘I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support.
‘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, anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s office at 520-351-4900.’
Sheriff Nanos said officers are ‘throwing everything’ at the search. ‘We hope we find her safe and sound,’ he said. ‘But we are very concerned.’
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