Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” star Savannah Guthrie, could still be alive, according to the latest theory from kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, who made national headlines after being abducted as a 14-year-old from her Salt Lake City, Utah home in 2002.
Smart spoke to CNN in an interview that aired Tuesday, May 5, just a little over 3 months after the cherished 84-year-old mother and grandmother disappeared from her Tucson area home. A masked man who has still not been identified was caught on a Google Nest camera approaching the front door the night of Nancy’s disappearance, leading to a conclusion that she’s been kidnapped.
In the new interview, Smart told CNN’s Erin Burnett she’s still hopeful Nancy could be found safe, saying she believes it’s “absolutely” a possibility.
The 38-year-old mom of 3 pointed out other kidnapping victims have been rescued “after years and years,” which is why she thinks Nancy could “absolutely still be alive.” Smart added, “Of course there is the alternative, but until we know, we have to keep looking,” and said the matriarch “deserves to be brought home” either way.
Savannah Guthrie Previously Said Her Mom ‘May Already Be Lost’
On February 10, the day the footage of the suspect approaching Nancy’s door was released, Savannah posted an image of the intruder and declared, “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.”
As time passed, the family became less hopeful, but still continued to beg for their mother’s return. In a February 24 Instagram video post, Savannah said “every long night” of the search has been “agony.” She emphasized the pain of “fearing” and “aching” for Nancy, before saying, “We know millions of you have been praying. So many people have been praying of every faith, and no faith at all. Praying for her return.” She assured her supporters that “we feel those prayers.”
Then, Savannah mentioned the devastating reality that her mother might be deceased. Though she stated, “We still believe in a miracle,” she also acknowledged, “We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother, Pierce, and with our daddy, and if this is what is to be, then we will accept it.”
Savannah’s father and Nancy’s husband, Charles Guthrie, died of a sudden heart attack back in 1988.
Savannah Guthrie Returned to ‘Today’ After Abrupt Early Exit on May 6
On Thursday, May 7, Savannah returned to her regularly scheduled hosting duties at “The Today Show” after unexpectedly leaving around halfway through the broadcast the day before.
The show offered no official explanation other than a statement from her co-anchor, Craig Melvin, that she “had to leave a little early” and would “be right back tomorrow.”
Reports say insiders have shared that NBC has code words set up to discreetly pull Savannah offstage if news on Nancy comes in, but a Page Six report says they were told by sources that wasn’t what occurred on Wednesday. Instead, they say Savannah was attending to an appointment unrelated to her missing mom.
The post Elizabeth Smart Explains Why She Thinks Nancy Guthrie Could Still Be Alive: ‘We Have to Keep Looking’ appeared first on EntertainmentNow.