Savannah Guthrie begs for help as ransom notes claim her mother Nancy died after February kidnapping

Disappearance and video evidence

Nancy Guthrie was last seen near her home in Tucson, Arizona, on the night of 31 January, and the FBI later released doorbell-camera footage showing a masked, apparently armed man at the residence. The 84-year-old mother of NBC Today host Savannah Guthrie vanished on 1 February and authorities have treated the case as a kidnapping from the start.

Ransom notes and death claim

Two letters were sent to the Guthrie family and multiple US news outlets in the days after the disappearance. The first demanded a ransom of millions of dollars (one Spanish-language report cited six million dollars in bitcoin) for Nancy’s release. A second note, whose contents were not disclosed until 22 June, claimed that Nancy had died shortly after the abduction and that her death was not intentional. Investigators believe both communications are authentic and came from the kidnappers. No body has been recovered and no proof of life has ever been offered.

Savannah’s emotional return to Today

On 23 June, Savannah Guthrie addressed the new details for the first time on the Today show, sitting alongside her co-hosts.

“Somebody knows something. This is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day, and we are in agony.”

She had taken a leave of absence after the kidnapping, missing NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage, and returned to the programme in April.

Plea for information and ongoing case

Flanked by her siblings Camron and Annie, the presenter stressed that a reward remains available and urged anyone with a tip to come forward, even anonymously.

“Please do the right thing for us, for our family, for our children. We love our mom, and we’ll never stop looking for her ever.”

Co-host Craig Melvin directed viewers to a tip line. The case, initially a missing-person investigation, is now being handled as a criminal homicide. President Trump ordered federal and local law enforcement to support the family, according to reports in Spanish-language media.