Police in Arizona are working to locate Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her home near Tucson. The Pima County Sheriff's Department says it believes Nancy Guthrie, who was last seen Saturday night, was taken by force, calling her home a crime scene.
An all-hands search ensued, including volunteers, drones and other airborne assets. Investigators have been collecting DNA samples at the home and combing through electronic resources. And authorities are asking the public for help, seeking anything that could lead them to Guthrie.
Here are key questions about the case as authorities continue their search.
Guthrie was reported missing Sunday
A call came in to police around noon on Sunday that Nancy Guthrie, 84, was missing, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during a news conference Monday.
Search and rescue teams worked all day and into the night trying to find Guthrie, Nanos said, adding that federal agencies also contributed, including Border Patrol canine units. But there were signs that Guthrie's disappearance was not a case of an elderly adult wandering off on their own.
"We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us," Nanos said, adding that as investigators processed evidence in Guthrie's home, they concluded "that we do in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime."
Guthrie's family dropped her off at her home around 9:30 or 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, Nanos said. The next morning, someone from Guthrie's church called the family, saying she was absent. Soon afterward, relatives called 911, and police came to suspect foul play in the missing-person case.
"All her personal belongings, to include her wallet, cell phone and vehicle were still there, but she was nowhere to be found," according to a public safety alert.
As of Monday, Nanos said, "Right now, we don't see this as a search mission as much as we do a crime scene."
Guthrie is mentally sharp, with mobility issues
Nancy Guthrie lives alone in the Catalina Foothills area north of downtown Tucson. Police say she was last seen at her home near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue.
Nanos said Guthrie takes daily medication "that, if she doesn't have in 24 hours, it could be fatal."
She isn't able to walk 50 yards unassisted, due to age-related mobility issues, the sheriff said. But he also stressed that Guthrie is mentally capable.
"Nancy Guthrie is of great sound mind. This is not a dementia-related" case, Nanos said. "She is as sharp as a tack."
Many older and retired couples live in Guthrie's neighborhood, a resident told reporter L.M. Boyd of member station Arizona Public Media, who visited the area. People are friendly and also tend to keep to themselves, the woman said.
"There's desert landscape between the homes, thick with cholla cactus," Boyd told NPR's Up First. "I saw some folks walking their dogs. But the layout of this neighborhood creates a lot of privacy."
Sheriff says electronic evidence is crucial
"We are at a time where, in this investigation … we need to depend on technology" such as license plate readers and surveillance cameras, Nanos said. That includes reviewing a security camera system in Guthrie's home, he added.
Teams are canvassing the surrounding neighborhood and asking people in the area to review doorbell cameras and other possible recordings for potential sightings of Guthrie, as well as coming forward with any observations that could shed light on what happened, the sheriff said.
"We know she didn't just walk out of there," Nanos said of Guthrie, adding — without going into detail — that the circumstances indicated "she did not leave on her own."
Nanos said it's not yet known whether Guthrie might have been targeted, as reporters asked about any potential links between Guthrie's disappearance and her famous daughter.
Savannah Guthrie asks for prayers
Savannah Guthrie thanked supporters in an Instagram post, stating, "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. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.
She added, "we need you."
Nancy Guthrie has three children: Annie, Charles Camron and Savannah, the youngest. Her husband, Charles, died in 1988.
Savannah Guthrie has deep ties to the Tucson area, having "graduated from the University of Arizona and worked for Arizona Public Media's Arizona Illustrated in her early journalism career," as Arizona Public Media reports.
"Savannah has been in touch with us as well," Nanos said as he spoke of the family's involvement in the investigation.
"Our hearts go out to them," he added. "This is their mom."
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