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“TODAY” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie is asking for prayers for her mother’s safe return as Arizona authorities continue to investigate her possible abduction.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing around noon Sunday from her home outside Tucson after she failed to show up at church, and her family searched her home and property for nearly an hour, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News. She was last seen the night before, around 9:45 p.m., when family members dropped her off at home.
Nanos said Monday that after what was initially a search-and-rescue operation, officials are treating her disappearance as a “crime.” He said the sheriff’s department believes she was taken “possibly in the middle of the night, and that includes possible kidnapping or abduction.”
The case remains under active investigation, officials said. Around 100 sheriff’s office detectives are on the case, the office said, and the FBI is assisting.
“At this point, there is no credible information indicating this was a targeted incident,” the sheriff’s office said Tuesday.
No suspects have been identified, it said. All tips are being taken very seriously, the office said.
There are reports that ransom notes have been sent to two news outlets referencing Guthrie, copies of which NBC News has not seen. No law enforcement agency has substantiated the reports, but law enforcement officials have said they are investigating them.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office in a statement said that it was “aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie,” and added that it is “taking all tips and leads very seriously.”
The office said anything that it receives is shared with their detectives along with the FBI.
Nanos on Tuesday repeated pleas for help from the public.
Savannah Guthrie, who was absent from the “TODAY” show Monday and Tuesday, expressed her gratitude for the support Monday night on Instagram — and asked for prayers for her mother’s safe return.
“We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him,” she wrote in a caption to an image that reads “Please pray.”
“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment,” Savannah Guthrie added. “We need you.”
In a post Tuesday on X, the White House urged anyone with information about Guthrie’s disappearance to contact authorities. “Our prayers are with the Guthrie family as we hope for Nancy’s safe return home,” the post said.
Nanos declined to answer questions about the specifics of the investigation at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, including which evidence was found at the scene. He said authorities do not know whether Guthrie’s possible abduction was random or targeted.
“We’re following all leads,” Nanos said. “We’ve got hundreds of leads.”
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that DNA samples confirmed to be those of Guthrie were collected from the home, but it said it has not confirmed that they were blood. The DNA samples, some of which were still being tested Tuesday, have not pointed to any person of interest, it said.
Detectives are also working through any pacemaker information that may be available, the sheriff’s office said.
John Edwards, the FBI assistant special agent in charge in Tucson, told reporters that federal law enforcement officers were providing “analytical and technical support” and conducting interviews.
Guthrie has limited mobility and is without her necessary daily medication. She has no cognitive issues, and her disappearance was not linked to dementia, Nanos has said, describing her as “sharp as a tack.”
“We know she was harmed at the home, but we don’t know to what extent,” Nanos told NBC News.
In an interview later with the Arizona Daily Star newspaper of Tucson, Nanos refused to confirm or deny that she was harmed, saying he “misspoke or something.”
Nanos has not provided additional details about the investigation. He previously said authorities are not aware of any threats against Savannah Guthrie, who is now in Arizona.
As the investigation continues, Nanos said, law enforcement officials have Guthrie’s cellphone and car and are reviewing video from cameras at her home, where she lives alone and employs staff members. He urged her neighbors to “go through their Ring cameras.”
Nanos said Tuesday that the sheriff’s office is waiting for analyses of evidence to come back from labs. He confirmed that investigators have completed their scene work, saying they are “done with the residence.” He declined to confirm whether there was blood inside or outside the house.
A nonprofit group that works closely with the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement agencies in southern Arizona, 88-Crime, offered a reward of up to $2,500 on Monday night for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in Guthrie’s disappearance.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department confirmed to NBC News that it works “hand in hand” with 88-Crime and that it is common for the group to offer rewards for tips during investigations.
Savannah Guthrie added in her Instagram post: “He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.’ A verse of Isaiah for all time for all of us. Bring her home.”
Savannah Guthrie will no longer be in Italy as planned for coverage of the Olympics, NBC Sports announced Tuesday. It had been planned that she would co-host coverage of the opening ceremony.
“Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time,” NBC Sports said. “Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother.”
Pilar Melendez is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital.
Daniel Arkin is a senior reporter at NBC News.
Liz Kreutz is an NBC News correspondent.
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