Savannah Guthrie pleads for help finding missing mother

Savannah Guthrie made a new public plea Monday to the people believed responsible for her 84-year-old mother’s disappearance, asking them to “do the right thing” and tell her family where to find Nancy Guthrie nearly six months after she vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home.

In an Instagram video captioned “bring her home,” the NBC “Today” host said her family has been living through a “nightmare that will not end.”

“It has been months since our mom was taken from us. Our family is in agony,” Guthrie said. “Nothing about our situation has changed. We have done our part. We will never stop looking for her.”

She continued: “We will always ache for her and feel that hole in our hearts. The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and I know that you have tried to do things the right way. So I’m asking you, begging you, to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her.”

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1 after she did not show up for church. Authorities said at the time that it appeared she had been abducted from her home. The Guardian reported that investigators found drops of blood on her porch and recovered DNA from a glove found about 2 miles from her home. The glove appeared to resemble one worn by a suspect seen in surveillance footage from the night of the disappearance, but it was later ruled out after investigators determined it belonged to a restaurant worker, not the abductor.

CBS News reported that two ransom notes were sent to the Guthrie family days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared. Authorities believe the notes were likely sent by the person or group responsible for the abduction. The first note demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin for her release. A second note, sent a few days later, said she had died and indicated that those involved did not mean for her to die, according to sources who reviewed the notes.

Guthrie’s family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie being found. The FBI has added a $100,000 reward for conclusive information and is looking for a man described as about 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with an average build, The Guardian reported. No arrests had been made as of Monday.

Monday’s video was the family’s first major public appeal since June 23, when Guthrie delivered an emotional address about her mother’s disappearance from the “Today” anchor desk, CBS News reported. She has repeatedly used her national platform and social media accounts to seek information, including a tearful March interview with former co-host Hoda Kotb in which she said, “Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony. We are in agony. It is unbearable.”

In the new video, Guthrie again appealed directly to those who may know what happened.

“I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing,” she said. “Help us bring this situation to an end. For all of us, no matter where we’ve been and what we’ve done, I believe there is always a way home. Please make the right choice.”