Nancy Guthrie’s neighbors can’t believe their longtime friend has vanished without a trace.
“Nancy is a longtime neighbor and dear friend and we are all worried about her,” a neighbor close to Guthrie, 84, exclusively shared with Us Weekly on Monday, February 2. “We live on the same street. [We are] in complete shock and very concerned.”
News broke on Sunday, February 1, that NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mom went missing in Arizona. At the time, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos called the situation “very concerning,” noting that the authorities aren’t ruling out foul play just yet.
According to a missing person poster shared by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Nancy was last seen on the evening of Saturday, January 31, at her residence. It’s unknown what clothing she may be wearing.
“I just saw her two days ago [on Saturday] checking her mail,” the neighbor revealed to Us. “She was always smiling and always asking about our family and neighbors. She was very engaged with the community. … It’s very concerning.”
During Sunday’s press conference, Nanos noted that Nancy has “no cognitive issues at all.”
In a second press conference, authorities said they could tell Nancy “didn’t leave on her own” and they “don’t see this as a search mission as much” as a crime scene.
According to multiple neighbors, police have been going house to house on the street and asking everyone to check their home cameras for anything that could help in the disappearance.
“It’s heartwarming to see everyone in our neighborhood looking through their properties and neighboring properties to see if they saw anything at all,” one neighbor told Us. “It’s a tight-knit neighborhood and everyone watches out for each other.”
The resident described Nancy as a “pure ray of sunshine and sharp as a tack.”
“She was out driving to church a couple of weeks ago and I was walking and she asked [about my family],” the neighbor said. “She was always asking about other people and always concerned about them — never shining the light on herself, but always on others.”
As the search continues, Savannah, 54, has traveled to Arizona to be closer to her family. (Sheinelle Jones filled in for the longtime NBC News anchor on Monday’s edition of Today.)
During the morning show, both Jones, 47, and coanchor Craig Melvin read a statement from Savannah.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” the statement read. “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.”
During Monday’s episode of Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Jenna Bush Hager was overwhelmed with emotion when discussing her close friend’s family matter.
According to Bush Hager, 44, Nancy “takes daily medication” that she needs “for survival.”
“We are thinking of our dearest, dearest Savannah and her whole family right now,” Bush Hager added. “Our prayers obviously go out to Savannah.”
