Not even in her worst nightmares did Savannah Guthrie (54), the successful presenter of Today Show on the NBC network, dream that her mother would disappear from her home in Tucson (Arizona) as if by magic. But that's what happened on August 31, when Nancy (84) was last seen.
An investigation was immediately opened. Traces of blood were found. There are hardly any clues. Speculation about a kidnapping abounds. The family is willing to pay one million dollars for the rescue, and Donald Trump offered his help.
Now, for the first time, the communicator has granted an interview, and she did it with Hoda Kotb, her colleague at NBC, which has been broadcast in several parts. In it, Savannah tearfully confessed that her family is "living in agony, we are suffering. It's unbearable."
It's difficult to convey how it feels to have a loved one disappear, not knowing if they are alive, sick, or dead. Savannah, as she recounts in the interview, is worried that her mother "is not taking her heart medication" and has stated that "thinking about what happened, I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night."
During the conversation, Savannah's face reflected the pain. Tears, a trembling voice, and hesitation... She thinks that she is to blame for everything because she is a celebrity who earns eight million dollars annually for her work. As she shared, she once asked her brother Camron if her money could be the cause of her mother's kidnapping, to which he replied, "I'm sorry, honey, but yes, maybe." She then apologized to her entire family: "If it's me, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
In these tough times, the presenter leans on her closest loved ones such as her second husband, Michael Feldman, whom she married in 2014 and has two children with, Vale (12) and Charles (10), and her older siblings, Camron and Annie, and their respective families.
In the interview, Savannah also addressed rumors suggesting that some family member could be involved, dismissing this comment as "unbearable", and the issue of fake ransom notes: "A person who sends a fake ransom note to a family that is truly suffering needs to deeply reflect on themselves."
She expressed great pride in her siblings: "No one took better care of my mother than my sister and brother-in-law. And no one protected my mother more than my brother. We love her, she is our shining light. She is our matriarch. She is all we have." In addition to the reward, the FBI also offers $100,000 for any lead that may help solve the case.
For almost two months now, the sheriff's office in the area, as well as authorities from state and federal agencies, have been pulling out all the stops to reach a definitive conclusion. On February 10, the media reported on some images from Nancy's home security camera showing a masked man, between 175 cm and 177 cm tall, medium build, carrying a black 25-liter backpack.
The Today Show presenter also finds solace in faith because in this way "I will stay connected to my mother," whom she said she clung to religion to cope with the death of her husband Charles in 1988 at the age of 49.
Savannah Guthrie is expected to return to the top morning show on April 6.