Savannah Guthrie and her siblings learned their mom was missing after a call from her church friend

Nancy Guthrie went missing over the weekend in Arizona.

Savannah Guthrie and mom Nancy on ‘Today’.Credit: 

Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

New details have emerged about the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s elderly mother, including how the Today anchor learned that her mom was missing.

On Monday morning, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos held a press conference to update the public about the continued search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, in a case that he confirmed is now being treated as a criminal investigation. While speaking to reporters, Nanos laid out the timeline of Nancy’s disappearance, sharing that she was last seen at her Tucson, Ariz., residence near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue at around 9:45 p.m. local time on Jan. 31, when her children left her home.

Nanos shared that the next day, Nancy’s children “got a call” from a friend of their mother’s from church who noticed that she was not at the morning service. (Nancy is mother to Savannah, her older brother Cameron, and her younger sister Annie.)

“The family went to the house and they spent some time looking for her themselves before they called us,” Nanos said. “I’m guessing maybe they got there around 11. So they did some searching and realized, ‘We need some help’ and they called 911.”

Missing person poster for Nancy Guthrie.Pima County Sheriff’s Department

Nancy’s home was later declared a crime scene due to circumstances that detectives deemed “suspicious in nature.”

“We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us,” Nanos explained, declining to share specific details. He later added, “She did not leave on her own, we know that.”

Nanos went on to confirm that Savannah, who was absent from Today‘s Monday broadcast, is now in Arizona with a security team. He added that police are not aware of any specific threats to the journalist that might be related to her mother’s disappearance.

“All of the family has been very cooperative,” the sheriff stated. “Savannah has been in touch with us as well. Our hearts go out to them. This is their mom. She is just a great lady from what I’ve heard.”

Representatives for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for additional information.

After authorities were called to the scene on Sunday, a large-scale search ensued involving airplanes, drones, helicopters, and search-and-rescue dogs on loan from Border Patrol. Hospitals in the area were contacted as well, but none reported seeing Nancy. During the Monday press conference, Nanos shared that the on-the-ground search has been paused to give crews time to rest. He added, “Right now, we don’t see this as a search mission as much as we do a crime scene.”

Savannah Guthrie and her mom Nancy in 2023.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Nanos additionally clarified that Nancy’s disappearance is “not dementia-related,” stating, “She’s as sharp as a tack. The family wants everyone to know that this isn’t someone who just wandered off.”

Noting that Nancy suffers “physical ailments” because of her age, Nanos said that she could not “walk 50 yards by herself.” He also shared that she is “in need of medication” and could be in danger if those meds are not taken within 24 hours.

In Savannah’s absence on Today, Sheinelle Jones stepped in to fill her place at the newsdesk on Monday. Savannah issued a statement that was shared by her colleagues, writing, “On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear Mom.”