In a moving television interview aired March 26–27, 2026, TODAY anchor Savannah Guthrie said she believes some of the ransom notes sent after her mother’s disappearance are legitimate, and she criticized those who sent false demands amid her family’s ordeal.
The 54-year-old journalist spoke with former co-anchor and close friend Hoda Kotb in a two-part interview about the abduction of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of February 1. The investigation has now lasted nearly 60 days without any publicly named suspects, despite an active FBI probe and disturbing doorbell camera footage of a masked, armed person.
Guthrie discussed the flood of ransom demands after her mother disappeared. “I believe the two notes that we received that we responded to, I tend to believe those were real,” she told Kotb in the Thursday broadcast, adding that she thinks most of the other notes were likely fake.
Law enforcement confirmed at least one ransom note was fabricated. Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, was arrested and charged in February for sending a fake ransom demand, worsening the anguish for the Guthrie family.
Guthrie strongly condemned those exploiting her family’s pain, saying anyone who would send a fake ransom note “really has to look deeply at themselves.”
The 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday, January 31. She routinely joined friends and neighbors to watch church services online on Sunday mornings. When she didn’t appear on the morning of February 1, a friend called Nancy’s daughter Annie, who lives nearby. The family reported her missing that day, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department quickly concluded Nancy had been taken from her home against her will.
The probe turned more chilling when the FBI released doorbell camera footage showing a masked, armed individual. Guthrie called viewing the footage “absolutely terrifying,” saying she can’t imagine that masked figure was what her mother saw standing over her bed—“it’s too much.”
Beyond ransom notes, Guthrie addressed hurtful online conspiracy theories suggesting her family’s involvement. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said on February 16 that the Guthrie family had been “100% cooperative” and were cleared as suspects “in the first few days.”
Despite that, the online speculation caused deep pain. Guthrie called the rumors “unbearable” and “pain upon pain,” defending her siblings and stressing that her sister and brother-in-law cared for their mother and that her brother protected her.
Kotb, who left TODAY in January 2025 after 17 years but returned to fill in during Guthrie’s absence, described Guthrie’s situation as “a tortured limbo” and called the interview gut-wrenching. She noted Guthrie’s composure under immense strain, observing both “a desperation and also a steeliness.”
Savannah Guthrie has been away from hosting since her mother’s disappearance, though she briefly visited the TODAY studios in New York City on March 5 and is expected to resume her duties in the coming weeks. Her immediate focus remains finding her mother.
The Guthrie family asked the Southern Arizona community to review security footage, text messages, and records from three key dates: January 11, January 31, and the early morning of February 1. Investigators suspect January 11 may have been a reconnaissance or trial run by the perpetrator.
“We continue to believe it is Tucsonans, and the greater Southern Arizona community, that hold the key to finding a resolution in this case,” the family said in a March 22 statement. “Someone knows something. It’s possible a member of this community has information that they do not even realize is significant.”
The family has posted a $1 million private reward for information leading to Nancy’s safe return, and the FBI is offering an additional $100,000. Although public updates have been limited, authorities say the investigation remains active.
Officials urge anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900, or 88-CRIME. The family’s plea is urgent and simple: someone needs to come forward.
