Savannah Guthrie broke down in tears as she shared with the media about her mother’s difficult past, raising her children alone after her husband’s de@th.

Savannah Guthrie is asking for help in locating her mother, Nancy Guthrie.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) launched an urgent search for Nancy, 84, on Feb. 1, one day after she disappeared on Jan. 31.

Guthrie was absent from the Today show on Feb. 2, when her co-anchors shared a statement on her and her family’s behalf. “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.”

During a press conference on Feb. 2, Sheriff Chris Nanos said that “time is very critical” — given Nancy’s “physical ailments” and the scene having shown signs of a crime — and pleaded for the public’s help.

“We make a plea to anyone who knows anything about this, who has seen something, heard something, to contact us,” Nanos said. “Call 911. We don’t we don’t need another bad, tragic ending. We need some help.”

He added, “We believe now, after we’ve 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.”

Nancy welcomed Guthrie in Australia but raised her in Tucson, Ariz. As Guthrie shared in a Guideposts blog post, it was her mother who encouraged her to take journalism classes in college, which ultimately led to her role as a Today anchor.

Here’s everything to know about Savannah Guthrie’s mom amid her disappearance.

She raised Guthrie in Arizona

During a May 2023 Mother’s Day segment on Today, Guthrie shared that Nancy welcomed her when she was 29 years old. Guthrie was born in Melbourne, Australia, though the family moved to Tucson when she was a young child.

In May 2015, Nancy joined Guthrie on the Today show as the pair went back to their Australian roots. They visited the hospital Guthrie was born in, as well as their first home.

Her husband died of a sudden heart attack when Guthrie was a teenager

Nancy’s husband, Charles, died from a sudden heart attack when Guthrie was 16 years old.

During the 2023 Mother’s Day segment on Today, Guthrie said her mom was “so strong” amid their loss.

“[Nancy] set aside her own grief in many ways just to be there and make sure that we could all move forward together,” she said.

Related Stories

Who Is Savannah Guthrie’s Husband? All About Corporate Consultant Michael Feldman

The anchor reflected on Charles’ death during a February 2024 conversation with PEOPLE, saying that the loss was “shocking and devastating.”

“It cracked open our family and crushed us,” she said. “He was our center. We just idealized him and adored him. He was larger than life, and funny, and charming, and adorable. His loss was so sudden and so shocking.”

She has three children

Guthrie is the youngest of Nancy’s three children. The mom of three also welcomed daughter Annie and son Camron with Charles.

“She always said, ‘When you came, I knew my family was complete,’ ” Guthrie said during the Mother’s Day segment.

She got a job at the University of Arizona to help her kids attend tuition-free

Guthrie’s late father was a mining engineer, while her mother stayed home with the kids for most of their lives, as Guthrie previously shared in the Guideposts blog post.

However, following Charles’ death, Nancy went back to work and got a job in public relations at the University of Arizona so that Savannah and her sister Annie could attend tuition-free, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Guthrie lived at home through college, but when graduation came, her mom encouraged her to pursue her dreams.

“My sister and I really felt like we should stick with my mom and not leave her alone,” Guthrie told Today in May 2023, noting that she accepted her first news job in Montana when she was 21 years old, thanks to the support of her mother.

“And that’s when she said, ‘If you can’t leave me, then I didn’t do my job right, Savannah,’ ” Guthrie recalled. “She just gave me permission to go, you know?”

She added, “It’s not because she didn’t want me to stay. Of course she wanted me to stay. But she’s like, ‘I’m not going to stand in the way of your dreams. I’m going to tell you, go go go go go.’ “

She went missing on Jan. 31

On Feb. 1, the PCSD launched an urgent search for Nancy — a “vulnerable adult” — following her disappearance one day earlier. She was last seen on Jan. 31 at her Arizona residence near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. local time.

In a press conference on Feb. 1, Nanos revealed that the search is underway amid a “concerning scene” at Nancy’s house after family called 911 to report her missing.

“We get these calls quite often, and we do a good job of searching the area,” Nanos said. “But, this one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we found and located just in looking at the scene.”

He added that Nancy is considered “not in good physical health” and may have been exposed to cold weather all night, clarifying that she has “no cognitive issues” but rather “physical ailments that limit her ability to move around.”

Homicide detectives are also reportedly involved and the possibility of foul play has not been ruled out.

“I hope we find her safe and sound, but we can’t ignore what’s in front of us,” Nanos said.

During the Feb. 2 press conference, Nanos said the investigation is now a “crime scene” more than a “search mission.”

Nancy “did not leave [her home] on her own, we know that,” the sheriff said, adding that she is “of great sound mind” and “sharp as a tack,” so this “is not dementia-related.”

A spokesperson for Today asked those with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.