News anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother has been been missing for three nights now, with authorities suspecting a 'possible kidnapping or abduction'.
Nancy Guthrie is the 84-year-old mum of Savannah, 54, who is the co-anchor of America's NBC News morning show Today - a role she's held since 2012.
The shock news broke yesterday (2 February) after Nancy was last seen at her home in Catalina Foothills, north of Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday (31 January) at around 9:30pm.
She was reported missing the next day, on Sunday (1 February), by her family when she didn't turn up to church, police said.
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On Monday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, said: "We don't see this as a search mission so much as it is a crime scene."
He added that Guthrie has 'limited' mobility and that there were signs that indicated she did not leave on her own.
She lives alone, was of sound mind, but requires daily medication.
"This one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we located just looking at the scene," he explained, before adding: "This is not dementia related. She's as sharp as a tack. The family wants everyone to know that this isn't someone who just wandered off."
Following the decision to launch a criminal investigation, Nanos said: "Something that they told me about that scene made me believe that there’s more than just a missing person. We still hope she’s alive and we continue with those missions of search and rescue."
He confirmed that at this point, investigators believe she may have been 'taken from the home against her will, possibly in the middle of the night', clarifying that 'taken against her will includes possible kidnapping or abduction', in an interview with PEOPLE.
During Monday's broadcast of Today, Savannah, who was absent, passed on a message thanking people for their support in the wake of her mother's disappearance.
She said: "On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mum.
"We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900."
According to her missing person's profile, Nancy is 5ft 5in tall, weighing 150lbs, with brown hair and blue eyes.
"I need this community to step up and start giving some calls, let us know if you’ve seen something," Nanos said.
The sheriff’s department has also set up a tip line for people to submit videos or images that may be useful to the investigation, and on top of this, a monetary reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Savannah also urged people to pray on Instagram earlier today (3 February).
She wrote on social media: "We believe in prayer. we believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. we believe in goodness. we believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him.
"Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mum, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. We need you."
The TV host added: "'He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.' A verse of Isaiah for all time for all of us. Bring her home."
Madison Burgess