Nearly two months after her mother vanished from her Arizona home in the dead of night, Savannah Guthrie finally sat down to speak - and she could barely get through it.
In her first interview since Nancy Guthrie, 84, was abducted from her home near Tucson on February 1, the Today show co-anchor sat with her friend and colleague Hoda Kotb on Thursday morning, March 26. The conversation was raw, tearful, and gave the clearest picture yet of what the Guthrie family knows - and what they still don't.
The ransom notes: what Savannah actually said
Since Nancy's disappearance, dozens of ransom notes flooded in - sent to news outlets, TMZ, and directly to the Guthrie family. Many were quickly exposed as fake, including one sent by Los Angeles man Derrick Callella, who was arrested on federal charges for the hoax demand. Savannah addressed the chaos of those notes directly.
"There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came, and I think most of them are not real and I didn't see them. But I believe the two notes that we received, that we responded to - I tend to believe those are real." - Savannah Guthrie, Today show interview, March 26, 2026
Those two notes - sent to local Tucson news outlets and TMZ - were the ones that contained specific details about Nancy's Apple Watch location and a floodlight at her home that had never been made public. The FBI took immediate notice. TMZ founder Harvey Levin previously told NewsNation: the grammar was perfect, the structure was layered, and the insider details were the kind only someone present at the scene would know.
The first note set two Bitcoin payment deadlines - 5 p.m. on February 5 and then February 9 - and warned of consequences if they passed. Both deadlines came and went with no payment confirmed. A second note later suggested Nancy may no longer be alive. Savannah indicated the family told the kidnapper they were still willing to pay - even for the return of her mother's body.
"But, you know, a person that would send a fake ransom note really has to look deeply at themselves - to a family in pain." - Savannah Guthrie
"I'm so sorry, Mommy" - Savannah blames herself
The most painful moment of the interview came when Savannah turned the guilt on herself. Through tears, she told Kotb that she believed her fame and wealth may have made her mother a target - and that thought has been impossible to shake.
"To think that I brought this to her bedside - that it's because of me. I'm so sorry, Mommy. I'm so sorry." - Savannah Guthrie, breaking down in tears
She also described the moment she got the call from her sister Annie - the back doors propped open, Nancy's purse and cellphone still inside, blood on the front doorstep, the Ring camera yanked off the wall. A woman who could barely walk on a good day. Gone.
"She can't wander off. And the doors were propped open, and there was blood on the front doorstep, and the Ring camera had been yanked off. We were saying: this is not OK. Something is very wrong here." - Savannah Guthrie
Where the investigation stands now
As of this interview - Day 54 of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance - no suspect has been named, no arrest has been made, and Nancy's whereabouts remain unknown. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and FBI continue to lead a multi-agency investigation. The family's $1 million reward remains active. The FBI is separately offering up to $100,000 for information leading to Nancy's recovery or the arrest of anyone involved.
When Kotb asked how the family felt about the investigation, Savannah was measured. She said many people had worked "tirelessly" - but notably stopped short of praise or criticism for any specific agency. The Pima County Sheriff's Department has faced growing public pressure as weeks have passed without a break in the case.
Savannah closed with a message she has repeated throughout this ordeal - one directed at whoever has her mother.
"It is never too late to do the right thing. We need to know. We cannot be at peace without knowing." - Savannah Guthrie
Faith in the darkest season
In the New York Times interview published Thursday, Savannah said she is leaning on her faith to carry her through. Nancy Guthrie herself was a woman of deep faith - she taught Bible study classes in Tucson and was known among friends for her strong belief. For the many people of faith following this case since February, that detail is not a small one. It is, perhaps, the one thing the family has left to hold onto while they wait for answers.
Part 2 of Savannah's interview with Hoda Kotb airs Friday, March 27 on the Today show.
Follow JubileeCast for continuing updates on the Nancy Guthrie case. If you have information, contact the FBI tip line: 1-800-CALL-FBI.
