Savannah Guthrie, longtime co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show, has spoken often and warmly about her mother, Nancy Guthrie. In recent months, Nancy has also become a familiar name to millions of Americans for a far more painful reason: her disappearance from her Tucson, Arizona home in February 2026, which remains under active investigation. Here’s what’s known about who Nancy Guthrie is, her life before the headlines, and where the search for her currently stands. Savannah Guthrie’s Mom
Who Is Nancy Guthrie?
Nancy Ellen Long was born on January 27, 1942, in Fort Wright, Kentucky, a small community across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. She graduated from the University of Kentucky and later married Charles Errol Guthrie, a mining engineer from Pineville, Kentucky, in December 1963. Charles’s career took the young couple abroad, including a stretch in Melbourne, Australia, where Savannah was born in December 1971.
The family settled in Tucson a couple of years later, raising their three children — Camron, Annie, and Savannah — in a home in the Catalina Foothills. Nancy has lived in the Tucson area for more than five decades, and by all accounts became a well-known and well-loved figure in her community.
A Family Shaped by Loss and Faith
Nancy’s life took a difficult turn in 1988, when Charles died suddenly at age 49. Nancy, then 46, was left to raise three children on her own; Savannah was 16 at the time. Those who know Nancy describe her as steady, faith-driven, and determined in the face of hardship. Savannah has echoed that description publicly, once praising her mother’s “grit,” her lack of self-pity, and her “unshakable faith” during an on-air tribute for Nancy’s 80th birthday.
After Charles’s death, Nancy went on to work at the University of Arizona while her children built their own lives and careers — Camron as a fighter pilot, Annie as a poet and jeweler, and Savannah in broadcast journalism, eventually joining NBC News in 2007 and rising to co-anchor “Today” in 2012.
Savannah Guthrie’s Public Tributes to Her Mom
Savannah Guthrie’s Public Tributes to Her MomOver the years, Savannah has used her platform on “Today” to honor Nancy directly. In one especially personal moment, she credited her mother’s unwavering confidence for helping her through years of hoping to become a wife and mother herself, saying Nancy’s certainty that it would happen “meant so much” and “got me through some really hard times.” These tributes have given viewers a window into a close, supportive mother-daughter relationship well before Nancy’s name became national news for other reasons.
The Search for Nancy Guthrie
On February 1, 2026, Nancy Guthrie — then 84 — was reported missing after she failed to show up for an online church service at a friend’s house. She had last been seen the previous evening at her home near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue in the Catalina Foothills.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said evidence at the scene, including blood on the front steps and unidentified DNA inside the home, pointed to a possible abduction rather than a voluntary disappearance. Investigators have said the home’s back doors were found propped open, and surveillance footage showed a masked individual at the property around the time she vanished. A ransom note demanding a large sum in Bitcoin was later reported, and law enforcement sources have said a separate note claimed Nancy died shortly after being taken — a claim authorities have not confirmed.
The case has drawn assistance from the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and local search-and-rescue teams. Nancy’s family offered a $1 million reward for information leading to her safe recovery and has repeatedly appealed to the public for help. Nearly seven months after her disappearance, no arrests have been made and Nancy has not been found, though authorities have investigated and ruled out several leads, including human remains discovered in the Tucson desert that were determined not to be connected to the case.
Savannah Guthrie’s Public Statements
Throughout the ordeal, Savannah has periodically stepped away from and returned to “Today” to speak directly about the search. She has thanked the public for their prayers, described her mother as being taken “in her pajamas, without her shoes or medicine,” and made emotional on-air pleas asking anyone with information, however small, to come forward. In an Instagram post marking six months since Nancy’s disappearance, Savannah wrote that she and her siblings “spend every waking moment thinking of her, longing for her, looking for” their mother.
Why This Story Resonates
Part of what has kept the public engaged is the contrast between the ordinary, resilient life Nancy Guthrie built after tragedy and the extraordinary, unresolved mystery surrounding her disappearance. For longtime “Today” viewers, Nancy was already a familiar presence — a mother Savannah spoke of with visible admiration. Her case is a reminder of how quickly a private family story can become a matter of intense public concern, and of the ongoing toll that uncertainty takes on the people left waiting for answers.
FAQs
Who is Savannah Guthrie’s mom?
Nancy Guthrie (née Long), born in Fort Wright, Kentucky, in 1942. She raised Savannah and her two siblings in Tucson, Arizona, largely on her own after her husband died in 1988.
What happened to Savannah Guthrie’s mother?
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, 2026, from her home near Tucson, Arizona. Authorities are investigating her disappearance as a likely abduction.
Has Nancy Guthrie been found?
As of this writing, no. The investigation remains open, and Nancy Guthrie has not been located.
Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?
Savannah has an older sister, Annie Guthrie, a poet and jeweler, and a brother, Camron Guthrie, a retired fighter pilot.
Where did Nancy Guthrie live?
Nancy has lived in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Arizona, for more than 50 years.
Is there a reward for information about Nancy Guthrie?
Yes. The Guthrie family has offered $1 million for information that helps in her safe recovery, and investigators continue to ask the public for tips.