Writing this on President’s Day, odds are it will be old news by the time you read it. Hopefully, there has been a happy ending.
Heartbreaking and frustrating, the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has dominated the news since she vanished on Feb. 1, remaining on the front pages for days despite brutal winter weather disrupting much of the nation.
There are so many stories like bad weather competing for center stage, even the biggest are short-lived. 2026 has already had some big ones, sprinting to a busy start. Iran, ICE, Ukraine, Munich, Venezuela, the Olympics – we read our newspapers, channel surf and deal with our own dramas.
In a heroic effort to buck our tendency to move on, Nancy Guthrie’s loyal, loving daughter, Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, released another painful video Sunday night. Like the others, after acknowledging that millions will be watching, Savannah addresses an assumed kidnapper directly.
Her love for her mom is etched in every tortured word.
“It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken and I just wanted to come on and say we still have hope and still believe, and I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it is never too late,” she said. “You are not lost or alone. It is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, and it is never too late.”
It is hard to believe in our “essential goodness” when we are talking about a violent kidnapper of an aged and infirm grandmother.
Ever since Google and the FBI managed to retrieve precious seconds of surveillance video from the blood-splattered entrance to Nancy’s home, we have expected positive identification of the perp who took her. Wouldn’t someone in her extended circle of friends or family recognize this diabolical oaf beyond the bland description of 5-foot nine, average build, white guy with some facial hair?
Not so far, though there have been some important developments in the case. A black glove found near Nancy’s home does contain DNA evidence that is being tested and appears to match the gloves worn by the suspect seen in the doorbell camera video, according to the FBI, although it is hard to see how finding the gloves leads to Nancy.
As another week begins, everyone involved seems tense and on edge. They have a right to be. This is a terrible crime with no apparent motive, snatching this wonderful lady from her home in a peaceful Tucson community.
Nancy Guthrie is hopefully still out there or on her way home. The reward is $100,000, which could help. My family and I, along with millions around the world, are praying for her safe return. So sorry, Savannah, that you and your family are going through this.
