Jenna Bush Hager was overwhelmed with emotion while discussing Savannah Guthrie‘s missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, on the Today show.
“We need to start the show with something that is deeply personal for us this morning,” Bush Hager, 44, said on the Monday, February 2, broadcast of Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, struggling to hold back tears. “Nancy Guthrie, Savannah’s beloved mom and somebody we adore around here, has been reported missing in Arizona.”
Cohost Sheinelle Jones went on to read the statement provided by Savannah, 54, which read: “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. 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.”
Bush Hager noted that she hoped viewers will call in with any relevant information. “We love Nancy, I know her personally,” she continued.
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According to Bush Hager, Nancy, 84, “takes daily medication” that she needs “for survival” and is likely “without her medication” at the moment.
“We are thinking of our dearest, dearest Savannah and her whole family right now,” Bush Hager said. “Our prayers obviously go out to Savannah.”
News broke on Sunday, February 1, that Nancy was reported missing after a family member called 911. “This is very concerning to us. We don’t typically get the sheriff out at a scene like this. But it’s very concerning what we’re learning from the house,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a news conference. “And so we’ll just continue. The detective’s homicide team is out right now looking at the scene as well.”
When asked whether foul play was suspected, Nanos noted that the possibility could not be “ruled out” at this point in time.
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The sheriff revealed there were “some concerns” about what was found at Nancy’s house, without going into specifics. He noted that Nancy is “very alert” and of “sound mind,” but there may be limitations with her physical health.
Savannah did not join her coanchors on the Monday broadcast of Today, with Jones, 47, filling in alongside Craig Melvin during the first hour.
Melvin, 46, noted that the story surrounding Nancy’s whereabouts was a “deeply personal” one for the entire Today show family.
Along with Savannah, Nancy shared daughter Annie and son Camron with her late husband, Charles, who died at age 49 after suffering a heart attack. Savannah has spoken candidly through the years about her mom’s support and strength following her father’s death.
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“We had some hard times when I was a child. We lost my dad suddenly and shockingly. And my mom was so strong, and set aside her own grief in many ways, just to be there and make sure we could all move forward together,” she said on Today in 2023, adding, “The greatest gift my mother gave me was faith and belief in God.”
One year prior, Savannah reflected on making the difficult decision to leave home in Arizona for a job in Montana.
“She said, ‘If you can’t leave me, then I didn’t do my job right, Savannah,’” the journalist recalled. “She could have held onto me. … It’s not because she didn’t want me to stay. Of course she wanted me to stay. But she’s like, ‘I’m not going to stand in the way of your dreams.’”
