Who is Nancy Guthrie? What we know about 'Today' anchor's missing mother

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie, remains missing after she was last seen at her home outside of Tucson on Jan. 31.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a Feb. 2 news briefing that officials saw "concerning" things at the home, which is being treated as a crime scene.

"We believe now, after we processed that crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime, and we're asking the community's help," he said.

He added that Guthrie is "of great, sound mind," and that the disappearance "is not dementia related."

Nanos pleaded for help from the public saying, "we don't need another bad, tragic ending."

Here's what we know about Nancy Guthrie and her disappearance. 

Who is Nancy Guthrie? What to know about Savannah's family, siblings

Nancy Guthrie is the mother of Savannah Guthrie, brother Cameron Guthrie and sister Annie Guthrie. Nancy's husband and father to her children died of a heart attack when Savannah was 16 years old.

"She has met unthinkable challenges in her life with grit, without self-pity, with determination, and always, always with unshakeable faith," Savannah said in a tribute on her mother's 80th birthday in 2022.

In 2019, Nancy appeared on the fourth hour of "Today" to discuss how she took a "laissez-faire" approach to parenting when she was raising Savannah. "Your kids won't like [hovering]," she said. "All my kids are absolutely amazing."

Savannah explained on "Today" in 2022 that she lived at home through college, in part because she wanted to "stick with my mom and not leave her alone" after the death of Savannah's father. She explained that when she eventually moved out to take her first news job, "it was really hard for me to leave her," but "that's when she said, 'If you can't leave me, then I didn't do my job right.'"

Savannah thanked supporters in a statement.

"On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support," she said. "Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. 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."

When was Nancy Guthrie last seen?

Nancy Guthrie's "children left her off" at the home around 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, according to Nanos.

The following morning, on Sunday, Feb. 1, a member of Guthrie's church called her family to let them know Guthrie was not in attendance at the service.

"The family went to the house. They spent some time looking for her themselves before they called us, so I'm guessing maybe they got there around 11 (a.m.)," Nanos said.

Jeff Lamie, one of Guthrie’s neighbors, told The Arizona Republic – part of the USA TODAY Network – that her disappearance was surprising. "It’s a very quiet neighborhood. It’s a very safe neighborhood. This is highly unusual, and we are very concerned about her," he said.

He said law enforcement reached out, door-to-door, to talk to people, asking to see Ring videos and to look through people’s backyards.

Lamie said there has been a "high response" to Guthrie's disappearance. A volunteer rescue group, he added, went through the brush and desert last night, and authorities deployed drones and a helicopter.

What's the latest on the search?

Nanos said at the Feb. 2 briefing that an extensive search and rescue operation was shut down, as officials no longer "see this as a search mission as much as we do a crime scene."

Officials described the circumstances on the scene as suspicious but declined to share further details. Nanos noted that Guthrie is "very limited in her mobility," and officials are certain that "she did not leave on her own."

"The family wants everybody to know, this isn't somebody who just wandered off," Nanos said.

Tom Winter, national law enforcement and intelligence correspondent for NBC, appeared on the Feb. 2 "Today" show broadcast, sharing that authorities "were able to get out helicopters (Sunday) night that use infrared cameras" for their search.

Nanos said deputies are "looking" at tracking Guthrie's cell phone. He also advocated for the department's use of AI, saying it is "extremely valuable to solving crimes just like this."