Savannah Guthrie Begs for Help Nine Months After Her Mother's Kidnapping

Savannah Guthrie Begs for Help Nine Months After Her Mother's Kidnapping

A Child's Drawing Carries a Family's Nine-Month Heartache

On Nov. 1, about nine months after her mother vanished, TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie issued a renewed public plea for information in the kidnapping of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Guthrie shared an old drawing by her young daughter, Vale: a blue umbrella surrounded by raindrops, captioned, "I know it might not seem like it but I really need my mommy." Guthrie wrote that the artwork "says so much about how I feel," adding that life may look normal as the family tries to keep going, especially for the young children, "but it's not and it never will be."

"We Are Begging You": A Direct Appeal to Anyone With Answers

"We ache for her, we cry out for answers, we cannot move forward," Guthrie wrote. "We need someone to help us, tell us what you know." She described her mother as "a light in this world" and said the family wants to celebrate her and give her the dignity she deserves. She confirmed that the family's reward is still available, closing with: "Please. We are begging you. Please help us." She also thanked those who have shown kindness, and named family members including Annie and Tommy, Cam and Kristine, and Mike as sharing in the grief.

An 84-Year-Old Grandmother Taken From Her Tucson Home

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1 after she failed to appear for her usual Sunday church service. Her family last saw her at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson at around 9:45 to 10 p.m. on Jan. 31, when a relative dropped her off. The Pima County Sheriff's Department later called the disappearance a presumed kidnapping based on concerning evidence found at the house. The FBI joined the search soon afterward.

Task Force Travels to Florida as Rewards Climb Toward $1.2 Million

The case is now handled by a joint Nancy Guthrie Task Force of the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI. In late October, the sheriff's office said investigators had traveled to Florida earlier in the month to meet with laboratory scientists about what more could be done, including DNA analysis. The Guthrie family is offering $1 million for information leading to her recovery, an offer announced Feb. 24. The FBI is offering $100,000, and the local 88-CRIME program is offering about $102,500, bringing the combined total to roughly $1.2 million. Authorities say no tip is too small and ask anyone with information to call 88-CRIME or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Earlier Pleas and Dead-End Ransom Notes Haunt the Case

Days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, two ransom notes were sent to a Tucson television station: one dated Feb. 2 saying she was safe and demanding $4 million in cryptocurrency, and a second dated Feb. 6 claiming she had died shortly after being taken. A possible new ransom text that surfaced around Sept. 28 was reviewed and deemed not credible. Guthrie made an emotional video plea in July, saying the family was "in agony" and trapped in "a nightmare that will not end." Her new message repeats the vow that the family will never stop looking for Nancy Guthrie.