The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not identified a suspect amid the ongoing search for Today anchor Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom, Nancy Guthrie.
“At this point, investigators have not identified a suspect or person of interest in this case. Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie,” a statement from the department read on Wednesday, February 4. “Detectives are working closely with the Guthrie family. While we appreciate the public’s concern, the sharing of unverified accusations or false information is irresponsible and does not assist the investigation.
The message concluded, “No suspect or person of interest has been identified at this time.”
The statement comes amid an unverified report from former NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield that Savannah’s brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, had been potentially identified as a possible person of interest amid the investigation. (Nancy shared daughter Annie and son Camron with late husband Charles, who died at age 49 from a heart attack.)
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News broke on Sunday, February 1, that Nancy was reported missing by a family member who called 911. She was last seen on Saturday, January 31.
While speaking exclusively to Us Weekly on Monday, February 2, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos shared that Annie was the last person to see Nancy.
“We have a start point,” Nanos said. “The family took her home from dinner at about 9:30 to 9:45 [p.m.]. So we would back that up to even say 9 or 8:30 p.m. to start looking.”
The sheriff shared that Annie didn’t raise any “red flags” about Nancy’s behavior prior to her disappearance. Nanos claimed that Nancy’s family members “weren’t alerted to her [missing] until about 11 in the morning” the following day, with police being called around 12:15 p.m. Authorities are investigating a timeline “anywhere from 9:30 p.m. to 11 [a.m.]” as the window of when Nancy went missing.
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“This is an 84-year-old lady who is safe in her own home asleep, and she is taken. That should never happen,” Nanos told Us, noting that Savannah’s mom takes medication and “going without her meds can be fatal.”
Savannah, meanwhile, has been absent from the Today show since Monday. Instead, Sheinelle Jones has filled in alongside Craig Melvin. The pair shared a statement from Savannah during Monday’s broadcast.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” the statement read. “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.”
Later that day, Savannah spoke out via Instagram alongside a graphic that read, “Please Pray.”
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“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,” Savannah wrote. “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.”
She continued with a Bible verse, writing, “We need you. ‘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.”
Savannah concluded her message with a plea: “Bring her home.”
