Savannah Guthrie's mom, Nancy, is missing as a homicide team has been deployed to investigate the case.
The 84-year-old was last seen in Pima County, Arizona, at her home in the Catalina Foothills area around 9.30–9.45 p.m on Saturday (January 31), the county's Sheriff's Office said.
A family member reported her missing to 911 around noon Sunday (February 1). The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is conducting an active search and rescue, using ground teams, air support, neighbors, search-and-rescue dogs, and homicide detectives.
Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters that it was 'not standard' to have a homicide team on the ground for this sort of investigation, as he explained some of the 'concerning circumstances' that prompted their involvement.
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“We get these calls quite often, and we do a good job of searching the area,” he said, as per Deadline. “But this one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we found just in looking at the scene.”
Nanos declined to elaborate further on what was found at the scene, saying only that it was due to 'what the scene was telling us', adding that they were still 'processing' it.
He also reiterated that a body had not yet been found in the search, as he continued: “I hope we find her safe and sound, but we can’t ignore what’s in front of us."
On Nancy's condition, he said she was being considered a 'vulnerable adult' on account of her age, but added: “She has no cognitive issues at all, just some physical ailments that limit her to move around.”
Temperatures in the area dropping to 50F (10 °C) overnight also increased urgency in the search.
Nancy is described as 5-foot-5 tall and 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.
The Guthrie family confirmed her disappearance in a statement to NBC: "We can confirm this is a missing persons case, and the family is working closely with local law enforcement."
Savannah is an American journalist and attorney best known as a co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. She joined NBC News in 2007 and has co-anchored Today since 2012, covering major news, politics and breaking stories.
She was also a former White House correspondent and previously worked as a lawyer and legal analyst.
The 54-year-old, who was born in Australia before her family moved to Tucson when she was two years old, is also the author of several books, including the New York Times bestselling children’s book Mostly What God Does Is Love You.
In addition to her broadcasting work, Savannah has spoken publicly about balancing her career with family life and has continued to appear regularly on TODAY aside from brief absences, including for vocal cord surgery.
In fact, the TV host had only just returned to TODAY last Monday (January 26), reports USA TODAY, before her mom went missing over the weekend.
Anyone with information on Nancy Guthrie is urged to call 911.
Ellie Kemp