Today Show host, Savannah Guthrie, mother has been kidnapped

By Drew Covington

Courtesy of NY Times

Savannah Guthrie, who has hosted the Today Show for over 13 years, received a ransom for her mother who was kidnapped 12 days ago. 

Nancy Guthrie, Savannah’s 84-year-old mother was taken on February 1st between 1 and 3 am against her will in Arizona. Since the reported kidnapping, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have received 18,000 tips. Family members reported her as missing when Nancy wasn’t present at the virtual church service. The Sheriff’s office and the FBI have found ransom notes since Nancy’s disappearance. 

“We need to know without a doubt that she’s alive and that you have her,” said Savannah Guthrie in an Instagram post responding to the ransom notes surrounded by her siblings, Annie and Camron. “We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.” Camron released a follow-up video saying, “Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward.” 

On Thursday, February 12th, the FBI released ring camera footage of Nancy’s home being broken into and has released a description of a suspect. He’s described as male, approximately 5’9” - 5’10” tall, and having an average build. The backpack he was wearing in the video is identified as a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.’ The man was seen tampering with the ring cameras around Nancy’s house. The reward for information given to the FBI is now $100,000. 

During this timeline, Savannah has been sharing tributes and making statements that she won’t give up on her mother. The Guthrie family has said that they’d pay the ransom, but they need confirmation of life. The kidnappers have yet to give that confirmation.