Savannah Guthrie said her family is now offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of her mother, Nancy Guthrie. The 84-year-old has been missing from her Arizona home for more than three weeks. 24 days to be exact, the ‘Today’ show host said Tuesday in a video update. Meanwhile, law enforcement is asking search volunteers to allow space to investigate the missing persons case.
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Savannah Guthrie Hopes Mom Will Be Found Alive
Speaking in a social media video, Savannah Guthrie said her family is still holding out for a miracle, hoping Nancy Guthrie will be found alive. However, the ‘TODAY’ host also acknowledged that they realize it might be too late. Since the first days of her disappearance, authorities have expressed concern about Nancy’s health. The 84-year-old needs vital daily medicine.
“She may already be gone,” Savannah Guthrie said in an Instagram post. “She may already have gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom, with her dad, with her beloved brother…with our dad. If this is what is to be, we will accept it.”
Savannah Guthrie said her family needs to know where her mother is, no matter what happened. “We need her to come home…Someone out there knows something that can bring her home,” she said. Additionally, she included the FBI number in her caption, 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) and more details about the $1 million reward and the acceptance of anonymous tips. Her family also plans to donate $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“We are hoping that the attention that has been given to our mom and our family will extend to all the families like ours,” she said.
What Happened To Nancy Guthrie?
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home just outside Tucson, Arizona, on Jan. 31. She was reported missing the next day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, and the FBI released surveillance videos of a masked man who was outside Guthrie’s front door on the night she vanished. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch. However, authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence.
Nancy Guthrie’s Family Are Not Suspects, Police Say
Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation. The public has submitted more than 20,000 tips, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office has said. Also, the FBI and other agencies are assisting.
Two weeks ago, officials released the porch camera footage. It showed a man wearing a backpack and gloves outside Nancy Guthrie’s house and gave investigators their first major break. But it also has fueled intense speculation. The sheriff’s department said Monday that it’s aware of differences in the masked person’s clothing in various released images. For example, the person is seen with and without a backpack.
“There is no date or time stamp associated with these images,” the department said. “Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.”
Sheriff Chris Nanos said a week ago that members of Guthrie’s family, including siblings and spouses, are not suspects in the missing person’s case.
Law Enforcement Says Volunteers Need To Step Back
Moreover, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said last weekend that it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie. However, it’s asking people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs.
“We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.
Despite the sheriff’s request for people not to search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn’t the same brand as one identified in video surveillance from the night of the disappearance. According to the Associated Press, sheriff’s spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads.
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Associated Press writers John Seewer, Jacques Billeaud, Felicia Fonseca and Olga R. Rodríguez contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
