The disappearance of Today host Savannah Guthrie‘s mother is turning into a horror movie. The 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home near Tuscon, Arizona, on Saturday night at around 09:30 pm local time.
The alarm was raised about Nancy around noon on Sunday, and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said he fears she’s been kidnapped after being what he described as a “concerning” discovery at her home. Nanos also underlined that this isn’t just a missing person, they’re treating this as abduction:
“We do in fact have a crime scene. We do in fact have a crime. She did not leave on her own. We know that.”
Kevin Adger, a public information officer with the sheriff’s office, said:
“Investigators believe she was taken from her home, against her will, possibly in the middle of the night. Now detectives are looking into a possible kidnapping or abduction.”
Now, in a shocking twist, news outlet TMZ (along with several other outlets) says they’ve received a credible ransom note from the person or persons holding Nancy:
🚨 TMZ received an unverified ransom note today demanding a substantial amount for the return of "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie's missing mother, Nancy. We have since contacted law enforcement.
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 3, 2026
STORY DEVELOPING. pic.twitter.com/VUqZx3K5Fj
“We got something in our email that looks like – it’s written like a ransom note for Savannah Guthrie’s mother. They’re very specific, and they say at the bottom, there is certain things they’re saying about what she was wearing and damage to the house…”
“Only we would know these things and we’re serious”
— Venci Nacario 🌕 (@vencinacario) February 4, 2026
TMZ goes on to underline that they’re working with the Sheriff’s department and detectives to help solve this crime. TMZ’s reporters are also careful to emphasize that they cannot conclusively verify that the note is real, but:
“When you read it, they’re acting as if, yeah, only we would know these things and we’re serious and there’s a dollar demand… or else.”
They later explained that the note demands the ransom to be paid in Bitcoin with the dollar amount in the millions. TMZ confirmed that the Bitcoin wallet the ransom is to be sent to is real, so right now this doesn’t appear to be a hoax.
Regardless, the situation is dire. Nancy is elderly, has limited mobility, and needs medication every 24 hours. If she can’t get her medication, she could die.
We can’t imagine what Savannah Guthrie is going through right now, but we can only hope and pray that this horrific situation is resolved by her mom being returned safely one way or another. In the meantime, detectives are surely poring over the digital fingerprints left on the ransom note email and trying to find information on the Bitcoin wallet.
More on this developing story as we hear it.
Published: Feb 4, 2026 06:34 am