The missing-persons case of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, was officially declared a crime by officials in Arizona on Monday after evidence from her Tucson home showed “she did not leave on her own.”
After working throughout the night and not finding Guthrie, officials concluded that foul play was involved.
“I believe she was abducted, yes,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News Monday afternoon “She didn’t walk from there. She didn’t go willingly.”
Nanos didn’t go into details that supported his theory.
“We believe now that we do in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime,” he during a Monday morning briefing. “This is an 84-year-old lady who suffers from some physical ailments, has some physical challenges, is in need of some medication. Medication that if she doesn’t have in 24 hours, it could be fatal.”
Mentally she is “sharp as a tack,” which means she did not wander off as some people with cognitive issues do, Nanos noted.
He told CNN Monday evening that a search team, criminal investigation unit and homicide detectives are on the job.
Authorities believe cameras in Guthrie’s home could be useful to solving the case. Nanos said there’s no evidence the missing woman was taken for ransom.
The 5’5”, 150-pound 84-year-old was last seen Saturday evening in her house in Tucson, according to a missing persons flyer released by the Pima Count Sheriff’s Department. It was unknown what she had been wearing, the department said. Family members said they dropped her off between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday night and received a call from her church on Sunday asking where she was, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news briefing late Monday morning.
While Nancy Guthrie has “no cognitive issues at all,” she does have some health problems, “so naturally we have some great concerns,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference Sunday night. “The scene at the house also has some concerns for us as well.”
He did not describe the scene specifically but added that “it’s very concerning what we’re learning from the house,” and did not rule out foul play.
“This one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we located just looking at the scene,” Nanos said.
Multiple teams responded to Nancy Guthrie’s home, and drones, a helicopter, an airplane, search-and-rescue dogs and volunteers are all searching for her, Nanos said.
Savannah Guthrie skipped her “Today” show hosting duties Monday and issued a statement read on-air by her colleagues. She has often spoken of her close relationship with her mother, who raised Savannah and her two siblings after being widowed when Savannah was 16.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” she said in a statement Monday. “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.”
With News Wire Services
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