Nearly two months after her 84-year-old mother Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Arizona home, Savannah Guthrie is speaking out and she has shut down speculation that her own family members may have been involved in the disappearance.
In an emotional appearance on the March 26 episode of Today, Savannah has pushed back hard against theories circulating online that her sister Annie Guthrie, brother-in-law Tomasso Cioni or brother Camron Guthrie had any role in their mother's abduction.
"It's unbearable and it piles pain upon pain," she told co-host Hoda Kotb.
"There are no words. I don't understand, I'll never understand. No one took better care of my mom than my sister and brother-in-law. No one protected my mom more than my brother,” she added.
She also spoke about what her mother means to the entire family. "We love her and she is our shining light," she said. "She is our matriarch. She is all we have."
Also Read: Nancy Guthrie update: Savannah drops bombshell on suspect's motive; shares ransom details
FBI search of Annie's home was routine, authorities say
The search of Annie’s home on February 7 led to a lot of speculation. However, authorities later said the search was simply "part of the normal course" of the investigation. It was a routine step in missing person cases and not a sign that she had done anything wrong.
{{/usCountry}}The search of Annie’s home on February 7 led to a lot of speculation. However, authorities later said the search was simply "part of the normal course" of the investigation. It was a routine step in missing person cases and not a sign that she had done anything wrong.
{{/usCountry}}Savannah said what helped clear her family in the eyes of the public was the doorbell camera footage from outside her mother Nancy’s home. The FBI said the video showed a man with a black backpack standing outside the house around the time Nancy went missing.
"I'm glad and grateful to the investigators and the technology companies that were able to find that video," Savannah said in the interview, "to, I hope — at least with people of good heart and compassion — stop the irresponsible and cruel speculation that had started to swirl."
However, seeing the footage was also very painful for her. Savannah said the images were deeply disturbing and made her think about what her mother might have gone through.
"It's just absolutely terrifying," she reflected. "It's just totally terrifying and I can't imagine that that is who she saw standing over her bed. I can't, that's too much."
However, the investigation still active and no suspects has been publicly identified yet and Guthrie family continues to wait for the answers.