For most families, a quiet dinner out is an ordinary ritual. A few hours together, a ride home, a goodnight hug at the door.
For Savannah Guthrie and her siblings, that simple evening has turned into a waiting game no one ever expects to face.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen on the night of Jan. 31 after being dropped off at her home in Arizona around 9:48 p.m. She had been out to dinner with her daughter Annie and her son-in-law.
By the next day, she was reported missing.
A Search That Has Gripped a Community
Authorities believe Nancy may have been kidnapped in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
Now, 12 days into the search, the investigation has grown into a multi-agency effort involving the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed that blood found on the exterior porch of Nancy’s home matched her DNA. It was a development that shifted the tone of the case — from a troubling disappearance to something far more urgent.
On Feb. 10, investigators released images and video of what they described as an “armed subject” connected to the disappearance. The individual was seen wearing gloves and a face covering.
A day later, authorities emphasized that they are still operating under the belief that Nancy is alive.
That single detail — that belief — has become a fragile but powerful thread of hope.
Searching the Foothills
FBI agents have been conducting extensive searches along multiple roadways in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson.
The Phoenix field office described it as a wide and ongoing effort, combing through terrain that is both vast and rugged.
For neighbors in the area, flashing lights and search teams have become an unfamiliar part of the landscape.
A Family Speaking Directly to the Public
Savannah Guthrie, known to millions as a steady presence on NBC’s Today, has stepped into a different role in recent days — not as a journalist, but as a daughter.
She and her siblings have made emotional public appeals, asking for their mother’s safe return and urging anyone with information to come forward.
It’s a raw reversal for someone accustomed to delivering the news, not living inside it.
Support From the Today Family
Back in New York, Savannah’s absence has been deeply felt.
Hoda Kotb, her longtime colleague and friend, shared a message of hope on social media as the search entered its second week. “Hope is believing that they are held, even when we cannot hold them,” she wrote.
Kotb has stepped in to co-anchor the show alongside Craig Melvin and canceled a planned trip to Milan to cover the Winter Olympics for NBC. Melvin and Guthrie had also withdrawn from the assignment.
On air, the hosts acknowledged that things are far from normal — and asked viewers for grace as they balance the day’s headlines with the weight of personal crisis.
It was a reminder that even those who sit behind the news desk are, first and always, human.
Why This Story Resonates
Cases involving older adults carry a particular ache.
An 84-year-old grandmother dropped off safely at home should be the end of the story, not the beginning of one. The idea that something could happen in those quiet overnight hours unsettles a basic assumption many families hold — that home is the safest place to be.
For viewers across the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia, the details feel uncomfortably relatable. A late-night drop-off. A porch light left on. A morning phone call that doesn’t get answered.
The national attention surrounding the case is undoubtedly heightened by Savannah Guthrie’s public role. But beneath the headlines is something far more universal: three adult children waiting for their mother to come home.
As the search continues across Arizona’s foothills, hope — cautious, stubborn, necessary — remains part of the story.
And for now, that hope is what her family is holding onto.
The FBI is asking anyone with tips to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office can also be reached at 520-351-4900.
