Today show star Savannah Guthrie’s mother is believed to have been abducted from her home while she slept, according to Arizona authorities.
"I believe she was abducted, yes,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News Monday. "She didn't walk from there. She didn't go willingly.”
Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished from her home in the Catalina Foothills, just outside of Tucson, on Saturday night.
“At this point, investigators believe she was taken from the home against her will, possibly in the middle of the night. Taken against her will includes possible kidnapping or abduction,” Nanos said at a press conference earlier Monday.
Nanos said that police believe Nancy was a victim of a crime.
“We believe now, after we’ve processed that crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime,” Nanos said.
The sheriff continued: “She is very limited in mobility. We know she didn’t just walk out there, that we know. There are other things at the scene that indicate she did not leave on her own, we know that.”
Despite Nancy being treated as a “vulnerable adult” due to her age, Nanos made clear that she is “as sharp as a tack.”
“Nancy Guthrie is of great sound and mind, this is not dementia related. She is as sharp as a tack. Her family wants everybody to know, this is not somebody that just wandered off,” Nanos added.
While any missing person search is time sensitive, the sheriff warned that if Nancy does not take her medication within 24 hours, it “could be fatal.”
The Independent has reached out to the sheriff’s office for updates.
In a faith-driven message about her mother’s disappearance, Savannah pleaded to “Bring her home.”
“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant,” Savannah wrote. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”
Savannah’s colleagues have helped to spread the word about Nancy’s disappearance.
Hoda Kotb, Guthrie’s former Today co-host, shared a photo of Nancy with the phone number of the sheriff’s department on Instagram.
She wrote, “If you know anything.. pls help.”
Today’s Al Roker also urged the public to help find Nancy, writing on Instagram, “We are praying for Savannah and her family and the return of their beloved Mom, Nancy.”
