Savannah Guthrie's mom 'taken,' sheriff says. Blood found inside her home

June 2023 photo of Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie.

Savannah Guthrie and mom Nancy on the “Today” set in 2023. Authorities say Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Arizona home.

(Nathan Congleton / NBC / Getty Images)

Richard Winton

Grace Toohey

and

Clara Harter

Feb. 3, 2026

Updated

12:35 PM PT

4 min

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Authorities found blood inside the Tucson-area home of Nancy Guthrie, law enforcement sources said, heightening concerns that the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was the victim of foul play.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday night at her residence, and local authorities say she may have been forcibly taken in the middle of the night.

“We do believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will,” said Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos at a news conference Tuesday.

Family members went to her home Sunday afternoon after they were alerted that she didn’t show up to church that morning, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. All of her personal belongings including her wallet, cellphone and car were still there, but she was nowhere to be found.

Officials have not theorized about why she may have been snatched, but Nanos appealed directly to any potential abductor while speaking with the media the day after she was reported missing.

“Just call us. Let her go. Just call us. The family will tell you, there’s no questions asked here,” he told NBC News.

At Tuesday’s news conference, officials continued to plea for any information that might help lead to Nancy Guthrie.

“Every lead and tip is important, we are aggressively pursuing and looking into every single one,” said John Edwards, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI office in Tucson, which is assisting with the ongoing investigation. “Again, please help us bring Nancy Guthrie home.”

Since she disappeared, investigators have completed searching and processing Nancy Guthrie’s home for any evidence and opened the property back to her family, officials said. They did not provide any details on what was found inside.

Nanos declined to answer many questions about the case, but did confirm that there was an empty frame for a security camera near Guthrie’s front door. He said investigators do not know if it was taken during her disappearance, but said they were looking into it.

When asked if there had been a ransom presented for Nancy Guthrie’s return, Nanos did not respond directly, saying instead, “We’re following all leads.”

Entertainment & Arts

‘Today’ host Savannah Guthrie’s mom possibly kidnapped in middle of night, authorities say

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday. Detectives said the scene at her home was “very concerning” and on Monday afternoon the department said it was investigating her disappearance as a possible kidnapping.

Feb. 2, 2026

The sheriff said investigators did not know what Guthrie was wearing when she disappeared and did not speculate on how many people could have been involved in taking her.

“We have a lot of work in front of us,” Nanos said. “We have someone’s life in jeopardy.”

According to sources who spoke with The Times who were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, there were signs of forced entry at her home and blood at the scene. It’s not immediately clear whose blood it was.

A tip line was set up Monday evening, and the Sheriff’s Department is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for images, information or videos that lead to the arrest of the person or people involved in her disappearance.

“We don’t need another bad, tragic ending,” Nanos said. “We need some help.”

Adding to the urgency of the case, Nanos has warned that Nancy Guthrie’s life was in immediate danger if she did not take medication every day.

While Nanos said the department was not aware of any specific threats to Savannah Guthrie that might be related to her mother’s disappearance, he said they don’t yet know if this was a targeted attack.

“We’re doing all we can to try to locate her,” Nanos said. “Every tool we have, we will use.”

Nanos has said that they do not believe Nancy Guthrie left on her own accord, explaining that because of physical limitations she cannot walk on her own very far. But, he has repeatedly said that she does not have any cognitive issues.

On Monday evening, Savannah Guthrie shared a statement on Instagram asking people to pray for her mother’s safe return 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,” she wrote. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”

Earlier in the day, “Today” hosts shared a statement from Savannah Guthrie that thanked viewers for their “thoughts, prayers and messages of support.”

“Right now our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom,” the longtime “Today” personality and journalist wrote on behalf of her family. She encouraged anyone with information on her mother’s location to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.