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Savannah Guthrie’s Today colleagues have shown her support after she broke down on air while addressing reports about ransom notes related to her mom Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
According to a new report from Page Six, Today staffers felt it was a “sad day” when Savannah had to comment on speculation that her mother, Nancy, may have died after going missing earlier this year. The outlet added that Today staff “feels so bad” for Savannah and have been rallying around her while navigating the continued uncertainty over mom’s whereabouts.
Us Weekly reached out to NBC News for comment.
On Tuesday, June 23, Savannah was joined by Today cohosts Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly and Jenna Bush Hager to respond to reports that a ransom note from her mother’s alleged kidnapper indicated that Nancy had died in captivity.
“I love you guys, and I love this place, and this is unusual and unprecedented, to say the least, to be sitting here.” Savannah tearfully told viewers. “I don’t have any comment on this story. I’m not involved in our coverage, but I can’t pretend I’m not here. Since I am, I just wanted to take the opportunity to ask people — really, to beg people — to come forward.”
She went on, “Somebody knows something. This is a news story today that is on your radar, because this is the life my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives and our extended families live, that our children live every day. We are in agony. We cannot be in peace.”
Savannah promised Today viewers that she will try each day to “find that joy” even though her family is still in agony over Nancy’s whereabouts.
“This is a moment to tell you we need your help. We’re begging for your help. I’m not going to miss that opportunity,” she noted. “Please, if you’re watching. No matter how small, the reward is there. You can tell us. It can be anonymous. Please do the right thing for us, for our family, for our children. We love our mom, and we’ll never stop looking for her.”
Her on-air comments came after multiple outlets reported new details about two alleged ransom notes that authorities accessed following Nancy’s disappearance. (Nancy was last seen being dropped off at her Tucson-area home on January 31 by her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni. Police have ruled out Cioni and his wife, Annie Guthrie, as suspects.)
Air Mail reported last weekend that authorities received a ransom note on February 2 demanding $4 million to be paid for Nancy’s return. However, a second note allegedly sent on February 6 suggested that Nancy had died and included a lengthy apology.
There have been conflicting accounts about the content of the ransom notes. NBC News reported that it viewed a note where the alleged kidnappers acknowledged that Nancy died, though there was no apology and no request for money to return her body.
TMZ cited another note where the writer neither acknowledged Nancy’s death nor made any form of apology.
Arizona reporter Briana Whitney spoke exclusively to Us about viewing a note where the writer claimed Nancy had been “buried in nature.”
“I’ve seen them with my own eyes, so I want to actually provide more context as to what that second note said,” she told Us. “In the [second] note, it says she’s ‘buried in nature,’ and that’s what I read … [It was] interesting they used that specific phrasing and also referred to the fact that she [Nancy] ‘perished’ shortly after she was taken.”
Us reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office for comment at the time.
While authorities have shared doorbell camera footage of a masked man at Nancy’s doorstep, no suspect or person of interest has been publicly identified in the missing persons case. The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy’s return.
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