Officials Address if Ransom Money Could Be a ‘Possible’ Motive in Savannah Guthrie’s Mom’s Abduction as Investigators Hope the ‘Window Hasn’t Closed’ on Her Rescue
Jason Pham
Savannah Guthrie has been a staple on Today for more than two decades. So when her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing in February 2026, the world rallied around her.
Nancy was reported missing by her family on February 1. A day later, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a press conference that concerning evidence at Nancy’s home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, led officials to believe that she was taken against her will and involved in a “possible kidnapping or abduction.” When asked whether the police suspected foul play, Nanos said that investigators are “not ruling it out.”
“It is a race against time, and I hope that window hasn’t closed,” he also told NBC’s Liz Kreutz in a new interview for Today. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department also offered $2,500 for information related to Nancy’s disappearance, including “any video or photograph information.”
Nanos also Us Weekly that officials have not heard of any motive for Nancy’s alleged abduction. “No, there’s not, we’ve not heard anything like that,” he said. “I wish somebody would call us and say, ‘Hey,’ because that’s what the family wants. They just want her back. ‘Hey, no questions asked, call us where to come and get her, and we’ll do that.”
While he noted that investigators would “never rule out any possibilities,” there was “nothing to indicate” a demand for ransom money at the time. “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. 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,” Guthrie wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. we need you. ‘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. Bring her home.”
With the support for her mom, there’s no doubt that Guthrie is a beloved member of the Today family. Read on for her history on Today.
How much does Samantha Guthrie make on Today?
Guthrie joined as a co-host on Today‘s 9 a.m. hour in 2011, replacing Ann Curry, who was promoted to a news anchor. She was announced as a co-anchor, officially replacing Curry, in 2012. Her first day as co-anchor alongside Matt Lauer was on July 9, 2012.
TMZ reported in 2018 that Guthrie and her Today co-host at the time, Hoda Kotb, were both earning $7 million per year to anchor the show. Page Six reported in 2020 that Guthrie used her viral appearance as a moderator at a town hall with Donald Trump to negotiate a raise at Today.
“Savannah’s new deal will be significantly more than $8 million a year, taking into consideration inflation, [Matt] Lauer’s old deal, and her popularity,” a source told the outlet at the time.
What’s Savannah Guthrie’s net worth?
Guthrie is worth $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Along with what she makes on Today, Guthrie’s net worth also accounts for her jobs as a White House correspondent, a co-anchor on MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown, and a guest anchor, co-host, and legal analyst across other NBC platforms.
Guthrie’s net worth also includes her hosting work for specials like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting, and the Olympics. She also served as a guest host for Jeopardy! in 2021, and has appeared on TV shows like 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, truTV Presents: World’s Dumbest…, and the movie, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!
Guthrie is also the author of multiple books, which only adds to her net worth: children’s books Princesses Wear Pants and Princesses Save the World , and a religious book, Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere .
In addition to her career, Guthrie also has multiple real estate properties. She and her husband, Michael Feldman, purchased a $3.5 million condo in Tribeca in 2012, as well as a $7.114 million apartment in 2017 that they listed for around the same price in 2023. The couple also own a $2.7 million in the Catskills.
During an episode of Today in 2022, Guthrie opened up about her humble beginnings. “My father died when I was entering my senior year in high school. I then lived at home all through college,” she said. ‘We didn’t have money to afford the dorm. And that was thing one, but the other was that my sister and I really felt like we should stick with my mom and not leave her alone.”
She continued, But when I moved to Butte, Montana, this was it. And it was really hard for me to leave her. And that’s when she said, ‘If you can’t leave me, then I didn’t do my job right, Savannah. She just gave me permission to go, you know?”
Guthrie credited her mother for encouraging to achieve her “dreams” as a journalist. “She could have held onto me,” she said. “It wouldn’t have taken very much. If she said, ‘Well, you know, Savannah maybe you could find something a little closer to home…’”
Guthrie also explained her upbringing is why she doesn’t want to “spoon-feed” her own children, daughter Vale and son Charley, with husband Michael Feldman. “You don’t spoon-feed your kids. You teach them how to eat for themselves,” she said. “It’s like everything. If we’re doing it right, there, they should be self-sufficient. They’re not supposed to be needy. They’re not supposed to need us. And also, we’re not supposed to be the center of their universes.”
