Savannah Guthrie may step away from her role at NBC News once again as she processes shocking new details in her mother’s abduction.
The development comes to light nearly five months after Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy, was kidnapped from her $1 million Tucson, Arizona, home.
The investigation has yielded no suspects or arrests, though new reports claim a ransom note sent to Savannah’s family indicated her mother was dead.
A source told The US Sun that Savannah is ‘holding it together,’ but said each new development is gut-wrenching.
‘The emotional toll is becoming impossible to ignore,’ the source told the outlet.
A source claimed executives understand the anchor may need another leave from her role at the Today show, saying: ‘Executives are quietly preparing for every possibility.’
‘They hope Savannah keeps working, but they also know she may need to step away without a moment’s notice.’
During Savannah’s first sabbatical, Hoda Kotb co-anchored as lead alongside Craig Melvin.
Kotb is prepared to step in as her replacement if necessary, the source said.
Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother was abducted from her $1 million Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of February 1
The FBI uncovered doorbell camera footage of a masked individual at Nancy’s front door
A source told The US Sun that Savannah is ‘holding it together,’ but said each new development is gut-wrenching
‘If Savannah needs her, she’ll be in that chair immediately. There wasn’t a second of hesitation.
‘This isn’t about replacing Savannah. It’s about giving her the space to focus on finding her mother,’ the insider added.
‘Savannah is determined not to let viewers down, but behind the scenes everyone can see how emotionally drained she is. She’s running on pure courage.’
This follows a new ransom note left to gossip site TMZ from a man who claimed to know who kidnapped Nancy.
The sender said he has video of her killers from the day she died that would ‘deliver them on a silver platter’.
He claimed there were two kidnappers and had video of ‘the main guy’ with Guthrie on the day she died stashed on a hidden phone.
‘I have a phone stashed in a secure location guaranteeing both the information it stores and the safety of the phone,’ TMZ said the email read.
‘What it contains is my definition of delivering them on a silver platter, a short video of the main guy with Nancy the day that was probably her last, pictures of both involved, names and addresses and age.’
The email explained the ‘location [is] easy to access if you know where it is’ and he would reveal it along with the password in exchange for a huge Bitcoin payment.
He also insisted he was not the same person who told volunteer group Buscando Corazones Nogales that Guthrie was buried near the US-Mexico border.
The tip prompted the organization to search the area near Nogales that it specified, but nothing was found.
NBC News Today anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, was kidnapped from her $1million Arizona home on February 1
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings made several videos begging the kidnappers to return Nancy
A masked man was caught on camera on April 29 driving up to a home in the Catalina Foothills in Arizona, the same neighborhood where Nancy Guthrie was abducted
Nancy was last seen on January 31, when she was dropped off at her home after dinner
‘I am not the idiot who recently called in a tip about her burial site in Mexico,’ the email to TMZ read.
As the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance continues, federal authorities are re-examining the letters for any clues about the captor’s identity.
Investigators previously released surveillance footage that showed a masked man at Nancy’s doorstep on the night she disappeared.
The individual appeared armed and was observed tampering with a security camera mounted near the entrance.
Former FBI agent Maureen O’Connell claimed on a recent episode of The Megyn Kelly Show that investigators are narrowing in on that suspect, which she believes will be the key to solving the case.
‘I think they’re getting close to the porch guy, and when they get the porch guy, the floodgates shall swing open,’ O’Connell said.
She estimated that investigators are approximately 75 percent of the way there on nailing down the suspect and making an arrest.
‘I think they’re close right now to pulling this case together, and that’s what my sources are telling me. Things are happening,’ O’Connell added.
