Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Camron, Anna, and Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her house on January 31, 2026 in what became a nationally followed case.

Savannah Guthrie has held the distinguished position of co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show for over a decade.  Beginning life in a small town in Arizona, she gradually rose up in her career to achieve national recognition in news reporting and journalism.

Her role includes interviewing leaders of different industries, commentating on events such as the Olympics and Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, and most notably, delivering the latest news to millions of people daily.

Savannah’s career path has also brought unprecedented amounts of media attention to the Guthrie family. Her mother, Nancy Guthrie, has been on air several times with Savannah, revealing their close relationship and bits of her personal life to the public eye.

Given her national position, when Nancy was taken from her secluded residence in a rural part of Arizona, Savannah, along with investigators, quickly concluded that this abduction was more than just an unfortunate coincidence, but a targeted attack. 

Where is Nancy Guthrie?

Since their mother’s disappearance on January 31, Savannah and her siblings have pleaded with the captor, through videos and posts for any information on her whereabouts.

Even with the assistance of the public, local authorities, the FBI and the President, who have all closely followed the case, no definitive evidence regarding where Nancy Guthrie was taken has been found. Investigators continue to seek any new leads that will crack this case open.

In the absence of concrete information, the Mount community has also shared their thoughts on the recent developments.

Mrs. Schools, a Mount social studies teacher, thinks the incident may not have been arbitrary in motive.

“My theory is that… whoever did this to her is someone who knows her,”  Schools said.  “It feels too random…why do you take this woman over all the people in the world? …the person in the video seems to know her porch,” she added.

Maddy Moeller ‘27 took a similar approach considering the unknown abductor.

“Because there’s not a lot of footage and the person managed to get around the cameras and the security system, I think they had to have known her house…or been in her house before,” Moeller said.

In surveillance footage released by the media, a person of interest is visible approaching Nancy Guthrie’s front porch, as captured from her Nest camera. The individual appears to wear a ski mask that covers most of their face.

Authorities have yet to determine the identity of this potential suspect, but they have noted that whomever orchestrated the act seems to have thoroughly preplanned it. The sequence of events, from the pacemaker to the small details on the property, all point to premeditation.

In the early morning hours of February 1, Guthrie’s pacemaker stopped registering a connection.

Hours later, blood drops were discovered on her driveway and the front porch.

Days later, gloves with DNA on them were discovered in the woods nearby.

As more time passes by without any leads, public concern continues to grow on the case.

Preexisting health conditions combined with her disabled pacemaker could indicate that she may not still be alive.

Evie Lauinger ‘27 expressed her interest through voicing a theory on the person in the footage.

“I know there was a picture circulating around of the lead suspect and he was wearing a mask…but the eyes don’t appear to be those of a man in my opinion…,” Lauinger contributed.

What now?

As a result of their constant media exposure, many public figures like Savannah Guthrie and their families have faced increased susceptibility to threats for their high-profile positions.

The dangers of targeted incidents pose the question of whether there should be increased protections for both the celebrity and their family members.

Madeline McLean ‘27 opposed this idea, stating, “I think… people on that [the Guthries’] level don’t need extra protection…also if it was someone she knew, extra protection wouldn’t have helped.”

“Their resources are their families’ money and if their family member who is a celebrity wants to protect them… they have a lot to do that,” Fiona Corr ‘27 agreed.