Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
TV HOST SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S MOM MISSING, HOME ACTIVE CRIME SCENE
02 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: What happened to Savannah Guthrie's mother?
This is an I heart podcast guaranteed human crime stories with Nancy grace.
This is, um, very concerning to us. Uh, we don't typically, you don't typically get the sheriff out at a scene like this, um, but it's very concerning from the house. And so we'll just continue, um, The detectives, their homicide team is out right now looking at the scene as well.
What is it about the scene that concerns you?
You know, I don't want to get into those details. I would just tell you that it's certainly a grave concern to us, just what we see there, and we'll continue to look.
So you suspect foul play? I'm not ruling it out. Would you gauge the chances are that it's foul play? Would you be willing to give us any idea on that?
No, I hope it's not. I hope we find her. I hope we find her safe and sound.
Tonight, our friend Savannah Guthrie needs our help, including you. Her 84-year-old mother in Arizona is missing. Right now, it's being treated as a crime scene. Straight out to Dave Mack joining us, investigative reporter, Crime Stories. Dave, what do we know?
We know that Nancy, a relative, called 911 yesterday just around 12 noon and reported Nancy Guthrie, 84 years old, missing. Now, Nancy, there are several things to consider here. The Sheriff's Department has already said this looks like a crime scene in that house. They went out right away and already got boots on the ground. They even brought in homicide detectives early.
Nancy, I do want to clarify that Nancy Guthrie, at 84 years old, lives in Catalina Foothills, which is just north of Tucson, Arizona. She was last seen Saturday night around 9.30. It was on Sunday, as I said, midday, when a relative called 911 saying we've got a missing woman and I've got to assume there's more to it based on the amount of assets being used right now to locate her.
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Chapter 2: What details do we know about the crime scene?
Her mother, her 84-year-old mother, has gone missing. Nancy Guthrie, gone, last seen Sunday night. Mrs. Guthrie, 5'5", 150 pounds, brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, just like Savannah. There is a tip line, 520-351-4900, 520-351-4900. Now, this is in the Catalina foothills near Tucson in Arizona. Please look at this photo. We know what Savannah looks like. This is her mother.
Please help us find this 84-year-old mom. Another thing I'm learning, Dave Mack, hold on, Dave, I'm being joined now by not only Dr. Bethany Marshall, our friend joining us out of L.A., but Brian Fitzgibbons. He is the Director of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security. He leads a team of investigators that go all over the world specializing in locating missing people, uspasecurity.com.
Brian, thank you for joining us tonight. Brian, I know this. I know that we're being told left behind are her keys, her ID, her purse, her phone, everything. That's what we're learning at this hour. What do we do now? She's limited in mobility. Listen to me. The sheriff, Chris Nano, says she did not just walk out of there, Brian. So what do we do right now?
I would immediately bring in canines, both types of canines, scent dogs, tracker dogs and cadaver dogs. I bring them both in right now.
Absolutely, Nancy. And Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has made some immediate coordination to have those things happen. You had canine teams brought over from Customs and Border Patrol, helicopter assets in the air, as well as drones with search and rescue technologies searching the immediate area. Because as you said, you know, Nancy Guthrie being 84 years old,
with some medical conditions, was not going to walk on her own power a significant distance. So those assets have been utilized, and unfortunately, law enforcement has come up with nothing from that.
Okay, Brian Fitzgibbons, I just made a horrible, horrible mistake.
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Chapter 3: How did Nancy Guthrie go missing?
Dr. Bethany Marshall, I just, when Brian was talking about her needing meds, I thought about my mom. Last night, I don't know, quarter of 12, I was in my mom's room. She lives with us. She just turned 94. And I saw where she had not had her night meds. And they're in one of those big boxes, you know, where you lay them out. There's so many day by day. There's morning meds and there's night meds.
And if she doesn't have those meds, she'll die. They thin her blood, therefore her heart. I don't even know what they all are. And without those meds, she'll die. My mom will die. She has to have those meds. And I was thinking about what the sheriff said, that she's not mobile. She can't, you know, just walk out of there They're treating it like a crime scene, Dr. Bethany.
And I know we keep showing smiling pictures of Savannah Bethany, but Savannah is not just a famous TV star. You know, she's the co-host of the Today Show. I still think of Savannah when she first came to join me at Court TV. And she is the same sweet girl kind person now that she was then before she became a huge star. Just when you see her smiling, unlike a lot of TV people, That's real.
That's who Savannah is. And I'm thinking tonight, Dr. Bethany, when you have your mom in a, let's just say a rest home or retirement community, and that's what the mom wants. They want to be independent. They want to live on their own. BUT THE WHOLE TIME YOU'RE RIDDLED WITH FEAR. YES, YOU'RE TAKING CARE OF YOUR OWN CHILDREN, YOUR OWN FAMILY, YOUR OWN JOB, BUT EVERY DAY YOU'RE WORRIED.
Chapter 4: What are law enforcement's initial findings?
I WONDER IF MOM'S OKAY. BUT I KNOW SHE MUST BE TOTALLY RIDDLED WITH FEAR.
Nancy, she must be terrified because you have a 94-year-old mom and I just lost my 95-year-old dad this past year. When you have a parent that age, it activates the same feelings as if you have a baby. You're always wondering, is the baby okay? Are they being cared for even if they're in a nursing home? Are their meals being brought regularly? Is somebody abusing them? Parents want autonomy.
Mine did. He had his car keys until the day he died. He did not want to go to a nursing facility. I arranged everybody in the church to visit him on a regular basis. He just thought he had millions of friends, which he did, but he didn't realize everybody was was kind of having like a caretaker network, if you know what I mean.
So Savannah already is struggling with feelings and has been, I'm sure she and her sibling group and her family with how do we take care of mom? And when a parent goes into a facility of some sort, what happens is that the caretaker usually needs respite, meaning they're having caregiver burnout.
But on the other hand, it goes against all of their internalized belief systems about what it means to care for family members. So it sets in place like this complex bereavement process. Nancy, I'm so worried about this mom. I have to say one more thing. Was she being targeted by somebody who was defrauding her, taking her money or targeting her because of a lurid fascination with Savannah?
Was she targeted because of her daughter's notoriety? There's so much more we need to know about this case.
Dr. Bethany, that just adds more suffering onto Savannah to think that somehow someone targeted her mother because of her. Hold on, guys. About that. Dave Mack, Crime Stories investigative reporter. We are hearing that Ms.
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Chapter 5: What role do canines play in the search for Nancy Guthrie?
Guthrie, Nancy Guthrie, vanished shortly after being dropped off at home by friends. She was coming home from a church function on Saturday night. Are those the people to last see her? I wonder if she made a phone call or anything after that.
Well, that's what we know is that she was dropped off and it was family that actually was with her when they dropped her off Saturday evening. Now she does live by herself, Nancy, and it was the next morning. I remember we said she did something with church on Saturday evening.
So when she didn't show up at church on Sunday morning, members of the church contacted family and they went to the house and that's when they discovered she was missing. So we know when she arrived at home and we know that she did not go to church the next morning. A couple of other things to point out, Nancy.
Law enforcement is saying they are not treating this as anything other than a crime scene at her house. That's important because usually we're talking about these as we're looking for somebody. It's a missing person. They're talking, this is a crime scene. She did not leave the home on her own. And they have added, you mentioned the medication.
Her not getting her medication within 24 hours is a fatal thing for her. So this medication, everything about this, it is really timely right now. Time is of the essence, Nancy.
Another thing, Dave Mack. Hey, let me throw this to Brian Fitzgibbons because it may weigh in on his opinion of what should be happening right now. Brian, Nancy Guthrie, Savannah's mother, is not suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's or any other mental defect at all. She has no cognitive decline. OK, nothing.
It's not like she just wandered out of the house and she just wandered into a body of water and died. That did not happen. Here's what I wanted to throw at you, Brian. Her front door, we are told, was wide open. Now, Brian. Nobody leaves their door wide open.
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Chapter 6: Why is Nancy's medication situation critical?
Like the last thing my mom says as I'm walking out of her room at night, shut the door, because she thinks it's colder in her room if I leave the door open. And she's actually right. There's no way this 84-year-old mom leaves her door wide open. That didn't happen. So that said, what do we do?
Yeah, you've correctly highlighted something here. This is not a standard case of a missing elder where some medical event has led to temporary confusion or that there was early onset dementia or something like that. We have the Pima County Sheriff clearly identifying that this is a crime scene. We have a door left wide open, right? Which a woman living alone of sound mind is not gonna do this.
And he's been very crystal clear about the assets that have been brought in very quickly. So all of these things add up to let us know that something happened to Miss Guthrie. on the night of the 31st after she was dropped off and that this is... And in just a few hours, Brian, we've got a very narrow timeline.
She's dropped off from the church function Saturday evening. Sunday morning, time for church, she's gone. We've got maybe a 10-hour window right there. How does that help, Brian, or hurt?
That's incredibly helpful because what law enforcement is doing now and in the statement that just happened hours ago, they are beginning an extensive search of license plate readers,
all camera surveillance in the area um they're soliciting tips from the public uh so they're they're moving they're shifting their focus to a technology focus now um to piece together that timeline having it narrowed down is going to make it a faster process
Savannah, of course, has left New York and is in Arizona aiding in the search for her mother. There's no way Savannah Guthrie would sit home while other people are looking for her beloved mother, Nancy Guthrie. Dave Mack, Crime Stories investigative reporter, did I understand that the FBI has been brought in?
They have been, Nancy. And, you know, authorities are not aware of any threats against Savannah Guthrie. But, Nancy, you mentioned that Savannah Guthrie is a very high-profile news celebrity and co-host of the NBC Today show. Would not be unusual for threats against her. They're not saying that, but the FBI is aware of this case, as is U.S. Customs and Border Protection also assisting.
Nancy, you know, they brought in all the assets, drones, helicopters, and everything right away. But, you know, we have found out they've all been sent home at this point.
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Chapter 7: What is the timeline of events leading to Nancy's disappearance?
I don't know what they found out, but certain aspects of this investigation are changing.
Guys, if you know or think you know anything about the disappearance of Savannah's mom, Nancy Guthrie, please dial 520-351-4900. Repeat, 520-351-4900. And of course, please join us in prayer that Nancy Guthrie is brought home alive and well. Goodbye, friends. This is an iHeart Podcast.
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