Savannah Guthrie video suggests developments in missing mom case: Analysts

Experts say wording of Guthrie's latest plea to kidnappers suggests she may know more about who has mom

Published Jul 27, 2026  •  2 minute read

Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Photo by Instagram

Savannah Guthrie’s newest plea for her missing mother Nancy has changes in wording that could point to new developments, experts told the New York Post.

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Former FBI agent Jason Pack said that “something in the wording shifted and it is worth noting,” adding the language is “consistent” with a family responding to something rather than “speaking into a void.” He did, however, note that consistency is not evidence.

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Family still ‘in agony’

In a new Instagram message, Guthrie, the host of Today, implored her mother’s kidnappers to “do the right thing.”

“Our family is in agony, we are in a nightmare that will not end,” Guthrie said. “Nothing about our situation had changed. We have done our part and we will never stop looking for her. We will always ache for her, feel that hole in our hearts. The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place and I know that you have tried to do things the right way, so I’m asking you — begging you — to do the right thing now.”

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Guthrie asked the kidnappers to help her find her mother.

“Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her,” Guthrie, 54, said. “I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. Help us bring this situation to an end. For all of us — no matter where we’ve been and what we’ve done — I believe there is always a way home. Please make the right choice.”

Nancy, 84, was first reported missing from her Tucson, Ariz., home on Feb 1.

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Experts weigh in

Former CIA member Tracy Walder told PageSix she believes Guthrie got a new ransom note or message based on the latest message.

“She’s answering specific questions. She does allude to the fact that some type of ransom was paid,” Walder said, referring to when Guthrie said: “We have done our part.”

Pack also told the Post he believes Guthrie signalled she took some sort of action.

“Five words and not one of them an accusation. But it lands like a receipt. It says this family held up their end,” Pack said, adding that in previous videos Guthrie would use such phrases as “whoever has her or knows where she is.

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“For six months, this family asked for a person. ‘Bring her home. Return her to us. We will pay.’ This week, Savannah said, ‘Tell us where to look for her,’” he said. “That is a different request than the ones before it. Where to look is not the same as bringing her back. What that means is not for me to say. It is her sentence and she chose it. That reaches anybody standing nearby. This week reads narrower.”

Pack suspects Guthrie may be addressing someone specific with the phrase: “I know you have tried to do things the right way.”

“Six months in, the family may believe they know more about who is listening,” Pack said, via the Post.

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