Savannah Guthrie broke her silence on Monday after her beloved mom, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing in what police are describing as "concerning circumstances."
TMZ were the first to report the news and said that the Today host's mother was last seen in her home near Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday night.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nano told reporters that the scene at Nancy's home caused "grave concern."
"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 told NBC affiliate KVOA.
Homicide detectives were called in and Chris added: "There are some things there that are concerning to us, we just don’t want to miss anything."
A statement was initially released by the Guthrie family that read: "We can confirm this is a missing persons case, and the family is working closely with local law enforcement."
Sheinelle Jones stood in for Savannah on Monday's show and Craig Melvin addressed Nancy's disappearance, before Savannah released a statement to Today.
© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I“We want to get right to what is a deeply personal story for us, Nancy Guthrie, Savannah’s beloved mother, has been reported missing in Arizona,” Craig said.
Savannah's statement read: “On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. 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.”
Nancy is described as weighing 150 pounds, 5ft 5 inches tall and with blue eyes and brown hair. Her family last saw her at approximately 9.30pm on Saturday. Savannah later shared an emotional message to her supporters on Monday night, after friends and fans had rallied around her to spread the word to try to find information about Nancy's disappearance.
"We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him," she wrote on Instagram.
"Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. We need you."
Savannah added a Bible verse to conclude her message, which read: "'He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.' A verse of Isaiah for all time for all of us."
© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I"Bring her home," she finished. The Today host's friends rushed to the comment section to share their support, with her former co-star Hoda Kotb writing: "Non-stop prayers – love you my girl xo," while TV star Andy Cohen added: "PRAYING. All love and prayers for your family."
Actress Alyssa Milano chimed in: "Praying so hard for your mama," while comedienne Amy Schumer said: "Praying hard," and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Bozoma Saint John wrote: "All our voices are lifted." Savannah shares a close bond with her mom and has spoken on many occasions about their relationship.
Savannah was just 16 years old and entering her senior year of high school when her dad, Charles, died suddenly from a heart attack at 49.
© Getty ImagesThe loss left Nancy a widow with three children to raise alone. During a conversation on-air with Jenna Bush Hager, Savannah revealed that she lived at home all through college to stay close to her mom. "I felt a duty to take care of her," she admitted, however, Nancy had other ideas.
She told her daughter: "I’m not going to stand in the way of your dreams," and insisted she follow her path into journalism and move away for her career.
Savannah has called Nancy a "noble creature," and a "woman of integrity."
© InstagramShe's also inherited her parenting skills and told People: "I'm like, 'I'm gonna be an '80s mom, like no-nonsense Nancy Guthrie," and refuses to spoon-feed her two children, Vale, and Charley. "She was right. She didn't put up with anything," Savannah added.
On her birthday last year, Savannah shared a touching tribute to Nancy on Instagram when she posted a photo of her mom and wrote: "My mom Nancy is my heart and my everything and my model for what a mother should be."
