The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC News‘ co-host Savannah Guthrie, over the weekend has grabbed national headlines, drawing attention not only to the race against the clock to find the missing grandmother, but also putting a spotlight on the Today personality’s siblings and their families.
Nancy Guthrie has three children: Camron Guthrie, a retired F-16 fighter pilot; Annie Guthrie, a writer and published poet; and Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. The 84-year-old, who takes essential medications and has mobility issues, was last seen by Annie Guthrie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni, when he dropped her off at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday night. She was reported missing on Sunday by family members after she didn’t show up for Church and, on Monday, the Sheriff’s Department said her home was being treated as a crime scene and that she was likely taken against her will in a “possible kidnapping or abduction.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has since commented on the three Guthrie adult children in relation to the investigation and their sibling bond. “They’re leaning on each other,” Nanos said. “They’re very cooperative with us and everything we’re doing.”
On Wednesday, reports circulated that Cioni, Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, had been identified as a possible suspect, but Sheriff Nanos quickly shot that down in a note that admonished members of the media who reported him as a person of interest without confirmation. During an episode of her podcast, CNN and ABC News alum Ashleigh Banfield, citing a law enforcement source, reported that Cioni had been named as a suspect.
Since that report, the paparazzi has snapped shots of Cioni and Annie Guthrie as they drove in the Tucson area; the couple attempted to cover their faces as photos.
According to his LinkedIn page, Cioni is a teacher at Basis Oro Valley School and works as an instructor for sixth-grade science and AP biology.
Annie Guthrie is a writer and poet whose book The Good Dark was published in 2012. According to the description on Barnes & Noble’s website, the sequence of poems involved “the quest for the meaning of human consciousness and its tangled subjectivity.”
The book’s About the Author section states that Annie Guthrie is a “jeweler living in Tucson. She has a metalsmithing studio at Splinter Brothers Warehouse.” It adds that she teaches at the University of Arizona Poetry Center, where she mentors select students. Her courses, the copy states, are in “Oracular Writing.”
On Tuesday, agents with the FBI were seen at the home of Annie Guthrie and Cioni. A group of law enforcement agents, including FBI and sheriff’s deputies, was photographed leaving Annie’s home after a two-hour meeting on Tuesday afternoon. No comments were made to the press as they left the home.
The younger sister of Savannah has made multiple appearances on Today over the 14 years her older sister has been a co-host on the show.
Savannah Guthrie, a household name across the U.S., rose to fame when she became a correspondent for NBC News in September 2007 and later as a host of NBC morning show Today. She was born in Melbourne, Australia, when her late dad, Charles Guthrie, was working there; the family moved to Tucson when she was 2 years old. Her father died of a heart attack when the TV journalist was a teenager, and since then, her mother has remained single and for years, has lived alone in Tucson.
The Today host is married to Michael Feldman, a communications consultant, public relations professional and former Democratic political aide. He spoke with the media about the disappearance, saying that he is trying to be helpful in the investigation.
Camron Guthrie has not been seen amid the crisis and keeps a lower profile than either of his sisters or his mother. He is Savannah’s older brother and is a retired fighter pilot, also living in Tucson. He served 26 years with the Vermont Air National Guard. Savannah wrote a post on Instagram about Camron when he retired from the Air Force in 2018.
“Col. Charles Camron ‘ARLO’ Guthrie on his final flight as an F-16 pilot,” she wrote to accompany a video of his final flight. “He retired from military flying this weekend and we were so honored to see his last flight. I have never been more proud of my big brother. He has flown for our country for 26 years, and continues to serve proudly in the ‘Green Mountain Boys’ — the Vermont Air National Guard.”
“He is the pride of our family and one of this country’s finest,” she added.
Camron has yet to speak publicly about the disappearance of his mother this week. The investigation continues, going into its fourth day on Wednesday, with dozens of leads from the public being looked at with the FBI’s cooperation, including multiple potential ransom notes whose authenticity has not been confirmed.
Savannah Guthrie has been absent from the Today show this week, but released a statement on behalf of her family Monday that said, “I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at (520) 351-4900.” She later asked for prayers in a social media post, and has since put her plans to host NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage on hold.
Also on Wednesday, NBC News’ Tom Llamas confirmed that President Trump had called and spoken to Savannah Guthrie, “offering words of support for her and her family. Trump also offered federal assistance on the search, calling the situation “terrible.”
