TV host Savannah Guthrie has revealed the devastating conversation she had with her siblings, making the heartbreaking admission their 85-year-old mother may have been targeted because of her fame.
The US Today show presenter delivered a raw and emotional interview 54 days after her mother’s mysterious disappearance, sharing the family’s belief she was kidnapped for ransom.
In the confronting conversation with her former Today show co-host Hoda Kotb, Melbourne-born Guthrie opened up about the anguish her family has endured over the past eight weeks.
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She also addressed the possibility her mother Nancy was taken because of the TV host’s high profile.
Guthrie said her brother believed from the beginning their missing mother had been kidnapped for ransom after disappearing overnight on January 31.
In one of the interview’s most difficult moments, Guthrie recalled questioning whether her mother’s disappearance was linked to her celebrity status.
“And I said, ‘What? Well, why? What?’ And then — I mean, it sounds so, like, how dumb could I be?” Guthrie said.
“But I just, I didn’t want to believe.
“I just said, ‘Do you think it’s because of me?’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry, sweetie, but yeah, maybe’.”
Guthrie said while it “would make sense” her mother was targeted, they still don’t know for sure.
She then went on to apologise to her family.
“She’s my mum and somebody thought, ‘Oh, that girl, that lady has money, we can make a quick buck’,” Guthrie said through tears.
“I mean, that’s probably, which is too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside.”
The TV host revealed the family initially hoped her disappearance was the result of a medical emergency, particularly after finding her back doors propped open when they arrived at her home.
However, those hopes were quickly dashed when they discovered blood on the front doorstep and found her Ring doorbell camera had been ripped off.
Guthrie confirmed at least two ransom notes demanding Bitcoin, sent to media organisations in the US, were genuine.
The breakfast host said the hardest part of the ordeal is not knowing where her mother is. While she believes in her heart her mother has passed away, she desperately needs certainty.
Guthrie is once again appealing for anyone with information to come forward and help relieve her family’s torment.
