Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, has been reported missing in Arizona and her home is being considered a crime scene, police said.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the night of Jan. 31 outside her home in Tucson, according to a missing persons flyer. She was reported missing at noon on Feb. 1 and aspects of the scene at her home prompted “grave concern,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.
The sheriff provided an update in a news conference on Feb. 2 in which he said Nancy Guthrie’s home is being considered a crime scene.
Nancy Guthrie does not have cognitive issues but has physical challenges and is in need of medication that can be fatal if not received within 24 hours, Nanos told reporters.
“She is very limited in her mobility, we know she didn’t just walk out of there, that we know,” Nanos said. “There were other things at the scene that indicate that she did not leave on her own.”
Nanos said later in the press conference that Nancy Guthrie “could not walk 50 yards on her own.”
Nanos would not elaborate on what makes it a crime scene, saying “it would be inappropriate at this time.”
He added that a search for Nancy Guthrie has been “shut down” because her disappearance is being treated as a crime. Savannah and her family have been in touch with police, he said.
Savannah, whom Nanos said is now in Arizona, issued a statement on Feb. 2 on behalf of their family.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” she said. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900.”
Her family told police they were alerted to her disappearance when they received a call from someone at their local church saying Nancy Guthrie was not there. The family then went to her house and searched for her before calling police.
Authorities are in possession of Nancy Guthrie’s cell phone, according to Nanos.
Police do not know if Nancy Guthrie was targeted because she is Savannah’s mother.
“We’re not going to dismiss any angles for sure, but right now immediately we don’t know of anything like that,” Nanos said on Feb. 2.
Nanos added that he does not believe the public is in any danger.
Nanos said multiple teams responded to the scene, including homicide detectives. Foul play cannot be ruled out, he said.
“You don’t typically get the sheriff out at a scene like this, but it’s very concerning what we’re learning from the house,” he said at his first news conference Feb. 1.
Nancy Guthrie is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Her family last saw her at home around 9:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Nanos said.
Officials had been searching using drones, a helicopter, an airplane, search-and-rescue dogs and volunteers, Nanos said on Feb. 1.
Savannah has often described her close relationship with her mother. Her father, Charles, died when she was 16 years old, leaving Nancy as a single mother of Savannah and her two siblings.