Savannah and Nacy Guthrie

Savannah Guthrie has begged for her mom’s return (Image: Facebook)

Nancy Guthrie has been missing for six weeks, and those who held onto hope for her safe return are now acknowledging their growing despair about the prospects of finding her alive.

Nancy, the 84-year-old mother of The Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on February 1, after she didn’t show up for a church service. She was last spotted the previous evening, when her son-in-law brought her home to Tucson, Arizona, after dinner and games at her daughter, Annie’s, residence.

After six weeks without fresh information, leads, or suspects, many tracking the case appear to be abandoning hope of finding her alive. It comes after a mystery man who claimed he “saw Nancy 5 days ago” offered chilling new proof.

 

During an interview with true crime specialist Brian Entin on his YouTube channel, former FBI agent Maureen O’Connell revealed she was among those losing faith.

Whilst discussing recent case developments, Entin posed a pointed question about whether O’Connell believed Nancy remained alive, six weeks after her suspected kidnapping, reports the Mirror US.

An image featuring two individuals engaged in a conversation. The individual on the left has long blonde hair and is dressed in

Maureen O’Connell got emtional as she admitted she felt Nancy was no longer alive (Image: undefined)

Becoming visibly emotional, O’Connell confessed she no longer held that belief.

“Do I think she’s alive now? I could just almost burst into tears because I was so hopeful for so long, but I think too much time has passed now. And I’m so sad about that.”

Her remarks arrive just weeks after Savannah’s first public acknowledgment that she and her family had reached a painful realization: that Nancy might no longer be alive.

In an emotional Instagram appeal, where she committed to donating funds to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children while raising the reward for information about their mother to $1 million, the 54-year-old acknowledged that she and her siblings understood they might never see their mother alive again.

 

A close-up portrait of an individual with long, light-colored hair, appearing to speak or express a thought. The individual has

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Savannah Guthrie/Instagram/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock (16696430a)”TODAY” co-anchor SAVANNAH GUTHRIE on Tuesday announced her family is offering a reward of up to $1 million for the recovery of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared more than three weeks ago. ”Someone knows how to find our mom and bring her home,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in a caption accompanying a video published on Instagram just before 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the video, a visibly emotional Savannah Guthrie urged the public to keep her mother in their thoughts.Savannah Guthrie Releases New Video Offering 1 Million USD Reward – 24 Feb 2026 (Image: Savannah Guthrie/Instagram/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock)

“We still believe in a miracle, we still believe that she can come home, hope against hope,” she expressed at the time.

“We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in Heaven with her mom and dad and with her beloved brother Pierce and with our daddy,” she went on.

“And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it, but we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.”

Whilst discussing the enhanced reward, she referenced the possibility of her mother’s passing.

“Tell what you know, and help us bring our beloved mom home, so that we can either celebrate a glorious, miraculous homecoming, or celebrate the beautiful, brave, courageous, and noble life that she has lived.”

This follows Nancy Guthrie’s neighbor delivering a chilling eight-word characterization of the suspected abductor.