nbc today anchor Savannah Guthrie speaks publicly for the first time Her words were laced with grief and guilt since her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared from her home in Arizona nearly two months ago.
In an emotional interview with her close friend and former co-host Hoda Kotb, Guthrie fought back tears because she feared her fame might put her mother in danger.
“It was so overwhelming to think that I was bringing this to her bedside… and it was because of me,” she said. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry…my sister, my brother, my kids, my nephews and my brother-in-law. If it was me, I’d be sorry too.”
She also brought up a possible reason why someone targeted her mother: “I don’t know it’s because she’s my mom and someone thought, ‘That girl has money, we can make quick money.'” It makes sense. “
Is the ransom note real or fake?
After Nancy disappeared, the family received multiple ransom demands. A note received in February demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin and said Nancy was safe but scared. When the note first arrived, the family contacted the Pima County Sheriff and within hours, the FBI started calling.
Guthrie believes most of the later notes were fake, but she believes two notes her family actually responded to were genuine. “There were a lot of different notes and I don’t think most of them… were authentic, I didn’t see them,” she said. “But I believe the two letters that we received and responded to, I’m inclined to believe that they are genuine.”
She also criticized anyone sending false ransom notes to grieving families. “A person who sends a fake ransom note … really has to look deeply at himself … to a family in pain,” she said.
Adding to the mystery, Guthrie said that while her family was initially willing to pay the ransom, the Bitcoin address was later monitored and no money was received.
Savannah Guthrie reveals new details about case
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1st. The family realized something was wrong when she didn’t go to church. Savannah recalled the moment her sister Anne called with the news:
“My sister called me and I said, ‘Is everything okay?’ and she said, ‘No,’ she said, ‘Mom is missing.'”
At first, the family thought Nancy might have had an emergency and was taken to the hospital.
“The back door was open, you know, it didn’t make any sense,” Guthrie said. “We thought maybe they came and there was a stretcher and they took her out from behind… but her phone was there, her wallet was there and all her stuff, it didn’t make any sense.”
Their fear grew when they found blood on the front porch and saw the doorbell camera had been removed. Camera footage showed a masked man outside Nancy’s home the night she disappeared, leading authorities to believe she was taken against her will.
“I mean, it’s absolutely horrific,” Guthrie said of the video. “I can’t imagine who that is [my mom] Seen standing beside her bed. Too many. “
Yet nearly two months after Nancy went missing, her family is still waiting for answers.
