US news anchor Savannah Guthrie makes emotional appeal for proof her 84-year-old mother is alive after being kidnapped from her Arizona home.
LOS ANGELES: NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie has made a tearful public plea to her mother’s kidnappers for proof of life.
In a video posted to social media, the 54-year-old ‘Today’ show co-host directly addressed the abductors while flanked by family members.
“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her,” Guthrie said. She noted that “voices and images are easily manipulated” before adding, “We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.”
Police in Arizona believe 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped from her Pima County home. She was reported missing after failing to attend her regular Sunday church service.
Local sheriff Chris Nanos described the home as a “crime scene”. He told a press conference, “She did not leave on her own, we know that.”
In her appeal, Savannah Guthrie highlighted her mother’s fragile health, stating she lives with constant pain and is without her necessary medicine. “She needs it to survive, and she needs it not to suffer,” she said.
The anchor confirmed her family was aware of media reports about a ransom letter. She said they were working to do “everything that we can.”
US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Savannah Guthrie. He posted on his Truth Social platform that he was directing all federal law enforcement to assist local authorities immediately.
“We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely,” Trump added.
Savannah Guthrie also addressed her missing mother directly in the video. “Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy,” she said.
