On Feb. 1, the family of Nancy Guthrie learned some distressing news.
The 84-year-old mother and grandmother did not show up for church on Sunday, which was very unusual. Family members went to check on her at her Arizona home at noon, didn’t find her and called the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Because of what were described as “concerning” conditions found at the home, which included blood spattered on the walkway by the front door and a missing doorbell camera, Guthrie was declared missing. She’s been described as “sharp as a tack,” as someone who wouldn’t wander off, certainly not without telling her family.
Her missing person case has drawn widespread national attention for several reasons, one of which is that she’s the mother of NBC’s “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
President Donald Trump has made statements about Guthrie’s disappearance and has pledged any and all support his administration can give, including the FBI and DHS, in trying to help locate and bring her home safely.
Another aspect of the case that has so many people paying attention to it is that it’s extremely unusual for someone that age to be kidnapped and, if the ransom notes sent to local TV stations are legitimate, held for ransom.
We all have mothers we love and adore, and to think about an elderly, vulnerable loved one being abducted and put through God knows what breaks our hearts in two. And the videos the family has released pleading for her safe return have been heart-wrenching.
But as a caregiver to my 82-year-old mom, what has hit me especially hard about this case was what is alleged to have happened while the elder Guthrie was at home. According to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, Guthrie was likely kidnapped from her bed as she was sleeping.
According to her family, Guthrie, who lived alone, is “in constant pain,” has mobility challenges that require the use of a cane, has a pacemaker and has to take medication to survive.
My mom, too, has mobility challenges. She uses a walker to get around. She also takes a couple of prescription medications, though, thankfully, none of them are medicines she needs to take to live.
I tuck my mom into bed every single night, making sure she’s warm, safe and snuggled down for what hopefully will be a good night’s sleep. I brush her hair back and kiss her on the forehead as I say a silent prayer to God to please allow us to wake up to see another day.
One of the things I think about now when I tuck Mom in for the night is Guthrie being terrified and defenseless as someone snatched her from the place she should have been the safest.
Her neighborhood. Her home. Her bed.
As of this writing, Guthrie still hasn’t been heard from. No one knows where she is, who has her or if she’s OK. The family is, understandably, desperate, and in videos, they’ve talked about being willing to pay the ransom that has been demanded, again, assuming the ransom notes authorities are taking seriously are credible.
The longer this goes on, the more I fear the worst because investigators often say that each day that goes by decreases the possibility of a positive outcome. But I’m praying that I’m wrong and that Guthrie will be returned unharmed and safe back to her family.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
