Blood has been found at the home of Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, heightening suspicion she was taken against her will, police sources told the LA Times.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, has not been seen since Saturday.
Her family alerted authorities after she failed to show up at church, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
Now cops and her family think she was taken from her home in Arizona in the middle of the night, with both releasing desperate pleas to potential captors for her release. Savannah Guthrie’s father died when she was 16.
The sources said that there were signs of forced entry, although it is not clear to whom the blood found at the scene belongs.
Speaking to CBS News on Monday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, “I believe she was abducted, yes. She didn’t walk from there. She didn’t go willingly.”
Speaking to the potential abductor via NBC News the same day, he said, “Just call us. Let her go. Just call us. The family will tell you, there’s no questions asked here.”
Speaking during a news conference that night, he added, “We don’t need another bad, tragic ending. We need some help… We’re doing all we can to try to locate her. Every tool we have, we will use.”
At the time of writing, authorities have not made public any theories about why she may have been taken. They also said that they are not aware of any threats relating to Guthrie’s daughter that may be connected to her disappearance.
The younger Guthrie posted a plea on Instagram to “bring her mom home,” asking supporters to “raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”
“We need you,” she added.
A tip line was set up on Monday night with the sheriff’s department offering $2,500 for anyone with images, videos, or information on her whereabouts.
“At this point, investigators believe she was taken from the home against her will, possibly [in the] middle of the night. Detectives are looking into a possible kidnapping or abduction.” Kevin Adger, department spokesperson, said on Monday afternoon, speaking to the Times.
Speaking to Erin Burnett OutFront, Nanos said that day, “Her wits are about her. This isn‘t somebody who wandered off. This is an elderly woman in her mid-eighties who suffers some ailments that makes her mobility, her ability to walk around very difficult.”
“I‘ve been doing this for 50 years. I have a gut feeling, but it came to me yesterday… that she was abducted… something about that scene made me believe that there’s more just a missing person,” he said. “Today we still hope she’s alive… but you can’t ignore what you’re seeing at the scene. Time is of the essence.”
She also has vital medication she needs to take regularly. “The family has told us 24 hours without those meds could be fatal,” Nanos told CNN. “And here we are at 30-plus hours or more. If somebody knows something, just call us. Just let her go and we‘ll come get her. We never give up hope.”
“The clock is literally ticking,” he said.
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