Untangling Everything That's Happened Since Nancy Guthrie Went Missing

Savannah Guthrie Returns to Today Show After Sudden Exit

There's been a disturbing update in the search for Savannah Guthrie's mom, Nancy Guthrie.

Going on five months since the 84-year-old was reported missing Feb. 1, three people familiar with the situation have told NBC News that, after an initial ransom note asked for cryptocurrency in exchange for her safe return, a second letter sent to media outlets indicated that Nancy is dead.

Investigators involved in the case have examined the two notes, both of which were sent to the news director for NBC News' Arizona affiliate KOLD, Jessica Bobula, and believe they are potentially credible, NBC News reported.

"It’s always with me," Savannah said June 8 on Today with Jenna and Sheinelle, sharing an emotional update on how she's been persevering in the wake of her mom's disappearance. "I cry every morning on the way to work, and I cry every morning on the way home. And I’m grateful to have good friends and to be able to come to such a beautiful and joyous and supportive place.”

When the 54-year-old abruptly left Today mid-show on May 6, fans were hopeful for a break in the case that has seemingly stymied authorities since family reported Nancy missing after last seeing her alive at her Arizona home Jan. 31.

But the longtime co-anchor was back at the desk the following morning, having first returned to her post April 6 following months of searching and keeping her two-plus million Instagram followers apprised.

"I can't come back and try to be something that I'm not," she previously explained in an interview with Hoda Kotb. "But I can't not come back because it's my family."

If that means she has to break down in private to hold it together on-camera, so be it. And in the meantime, she continued to ask the public to share any intel they might have.

A human bone found seven miles from Nancy's home May 7 was "not criminal in nature," a spokesperson for the Tucson Police Department told People. And Savannah labeled the speculation that her brother Camron Guthrie, sister Annie Guthrie or brother-in-law Tomasso Cioni were at all involved "irresponsible and cruel."

But much like kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, who noted, "There are cases that span many more years than mine does, and they came back alive," Savannah isn't letting go of hope that her mother could be found.

"We miss you with every breath," the journalist wrote in a May 10 Mother's Day tribute. "We will never stop looking for you. We will never be at peace until we find you."

As such, "We desperately ask this community for renewed attention to our mom’s case—please consult camera footage, journal notes, text messages, observations or conversations that in retrospect may hold significance," the siblings and their spouses said in a joint statement to KVOA News 4 Tucson in March. "No detail is too small. It may be the key."

Keep reading for everything we know about the investigation surrounding Nancy Guthrie.

(Originally published May 17, 2026, at 6:45 a.m. PT)