Journalist Savannah Guthrie’s mother has been missing for several days, leaving her family in anguish and desperate for any update. 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared in the middle of the night from her home in Tucson, Arizona, last weekend.
The sudden disappearance has sparked widespread concern across the nation, with authorities suspecting a possible abduction. Police found traces of blood on the porch and later confirmed it was hers.
As investigators continued their search, the FBI announced a reward of up to $50,000, after the family received an alleged ransom note via TMZ.
According to sources, Nancy was last seen late Saturday night, January 31, when she arrived home at approximately 9:48 p.m., according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
Investigators believe she went inside for the night and vanished sometime between then and early Sunday morning, February 1.
🔥🚨BREAKING: The initial ransom cutoff in the Nancy Guthrie case has now come and gone as the family shared a second emotional plea.
Authorities say a third message arrived with zero proof she’s alive, while the FBI surged task force experts into the search and put up a $50,000… pic.twitter.com/nuzd3ykKPM
— aka (@akafaceUS) February 6, 2026
Members of her church in Arizona noticed that Nancy was missing and told her family. They immediately called 911, and federal officers from Border Patrol arrived at the location and began their search.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, Annie and her brother Camron, have been desperately searching for her mother. The Today show host also issued a public appeal to whoever may be holding her mother, saying her family is prepared to communicate but needs confirmation that Nancy is still alive.
“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” she said in the clip.
Standing alongside her brother and sister in a video shared on social media, Savannah said the family was aware of reports involving ransom demands that came with a deadline and pleaded that they were okay to accept it as long as they know their mom was fine.
“We are ready to talk,” Savannah said. “But we need proof of life,” she added.
Savannah Guthrie also acknowledged the growing challenge of sharing a missing person’s image in public due to AI technologies and expressed concerns over how voices and images can now be manipulated with alarming realism and used in forging identity.
Commonly called a deepfake, these AI-generated, altered media images, audio, or videos convincingly replace a person’s likeness, voice, or actions with someone else’s.
Addressing the viewers, Savannah said, “We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” she said. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen.”
FBI officials held a press conference where Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, also expressed his concerns about AI-generated videos, images or pieces of audio content designed to mimic a real-life person or situation.
“With AI these days, you can make videos that appear very real,” said Heith Janke. “We can’t just take a video and trust that it’s proof of life because of advancements in AI.”
Nancy Guthrie: Family seeks proof of life amid ransom note reports https://t.co/hwqS7sdX4d pic.twitter.com/haELcDRokI
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) February 6, 2026
Former FBI agent Katherine Schweit explained how ransom demands have changed these days, from phone calls and handwritten notes to emails and texts. She also applauded Savannah Guthrie’s public statement.
“The goal is to get direct communication between the perpetrator, law enforcement, and ideally the victim,” she said. “You want to ask the perpetrator what they need and how the situation can be resolved,” the former agent added.
Authorities continue to investigate Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, following leads and examining ransom communications, while her family awaits a positive development.
