An extensive search was continuing Sunday night in Tucson's Catalina Foothills for the 84-year-old mother of NBC Today Show host Savannah Guthrie.
"We hope we find her safe and sound, but we are very concerned," Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a briefing late Sunday about the search for Nancy Guthrie, who was last seen Saturday night at her Tucson home.
Nanos cited "concerning evidence" at the home and said foul play could not be immediately ruled out in the case. He would not elaborate.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos
The evidence was "enough of a concern to us that we called out a criminal investigation team as well," including homicide detectives, which is "not standard" in a missing person case, Nanos said.
"We're pretty much throwing everything at this," he said.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Saturday by family members who left her at her home. She was reported missing by family members about noon Sunday.
Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC Today host Savannah Guthrie, is shown in this undated photo provided by the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Deputies and volunteers have been searching for her since about noon Sunday.
Ground crews, dog teams, drones and the Sheriff's Department's airplane were searching the neighborhood, south of East Skyline Drive and west of North Campbell Avenue. Deputies also checked with hospitals and medical transport teams, among other investigative steps, Nanos said.
Search crews wearing headlamps could be seen in the neighborhood Sunday night, along with neighbors who were calling out the missing woman's name. The department's plane was overhead, using infrared to search, Nanos said.
Guthrie is considered a "vulnerable adult" by the department, mostly due to her age and physical mobility issues. She has no cognitive issues, Nanos said.
Nancy Guthrie is about 5-feet, 5-inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes. It is unknown what clothing she might be wearing.
Anyone with information regarding where she might be is asked to call 9-1-1 or the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Savannah Guthrie was raised in Tucson and is a University of Arizona graduate. She was in Tucson late last year and filmed segments introducing the Today Show audience to her hometown. She was not in Tucson Sunday night, Nanos said.
In a tribute to her mother on her 80th birthday in 2022, Savannah Guthrie said, "She’s lived a life of integrity and loyalty. She is a consistent doer of the right thing and the hard thing."
Savannah Guthrie on NBC's Today Show in 2022.
