Today presenter Savannah Guthrie has issued a plea to the people who abducted her mother, in a tearful Instagram message alongside her two siblings.
The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, 84, is entering its fifth day, after she failed to attend church on Sunday and was subsequently reported missing.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department have said they believe Nancy was kidnapped from her Arizona home and that they are working with the FBI to authenticate an alleged ransom note.
US news anchor Savannah has now emotionally asked her mother’s captors for proof she is still alive and pleaded for her return.
‘We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen,’ the NBC host said in the video, flanked by her sister Annie and brother Cameron. ‘Please reach out to us.’
She continued: ‘We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated.
‘We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her.’
Savannah’s voice broke as she spoke directly to her mother in the video: ‘Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman.
‘Everyone is looking for you, mommy. Everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again.’
Authorities have warned Nancy could be in dire health without her medication, which Savannah Guthrie referred to in the video.
‘Our mom is our heart and our home,’ she said. ‘Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer.’
Shortly after the video was posted to Instagram, President Donald Trump said he had directed federal law enforcement to be at the family’s disposal ‘immediately’, in a post on Truth Social.
He also confirmed he had spoken to Savannah over the phone amid the ongoing search for her mother.
It comes after the Pima County Sheriff’s Office yesterday shared an update in which they urged members of the public not to share unverified information about the case, describing it as ‘irresponsible’.
The sheriff’s department also confirmed that they do not currently have a suspect or person of interest in the case.
Savannah Guthrie has been a co-presenter on the Today programme in the US since 2012 and won a Daytime Emmy for the show in 2020. She had been due to go to Milan to cover the Winter Olympics for NBC, but has now pulled out amid the ongoing search for her mother.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.