Shocking Impact of Savannah Guthrie Interview on 'Abductors', Says Ex-FBI Agent as Case Returns to Spotlight

Savannah Guthrie opened up about the “agony” of her mother Nancy Guthrie's abduction in an interview with Hoda Kotb on Today.

The widely shared footage has thrust the case back into the spotlight, with an expert suggesting the renewed attention could put pressure on the abductors.

“This interview doesn’t hurt the investigation. What it does is keep Nancy’s name in the news at the exact moment national attention starts to drift. The whole country has been praying for this family,” retired FBI agent Jason Pack told Page Six.

“Every time Savannah speaks, somebody sitting on information hopefully gets a little closer to picking up the phone,” he added.

Pack said the abductors now have “the FBI, a million-dollar reward and the entire country looking for them.”

He added, “In my experience, suspects who have done something like this are usually terrified. They have been scared for two months. Every knock on the door. Every slow moving car. They are waiting on that one tip that leads law enforcement straight to their doorstep and finally tells the world what happened to Miss Nancy.”

The expert said that the interview is not necessarily a law-enforcement strategy.

“This is what grief looks like. It’s a family carrying something too heavy to hold alone, and a woman who decided she was done holding it in silence. Think about who she chose to sit down with. Hoda Kotb. Her friend. Her colleague. Someone she trusts with her life. Savannah didn’t walk into a press conference. She walked into a safe space and let herself be human. That’s what grief looks like when it finally gets room to breathe,” Pack said.

Nancy Guthrie has been reported missing from her Catalina Foothills home since February 1, with concerns of her fragile health and well-being continuing to grow. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are currently investigating the case.

In the latest interview, Savannah Guthrie said she still has faith her mother will return.

“God doesn’t tell us not to wrestle with Him,” she said. “This isn’t some cheap faith — my mom taught me that. God only requires our authentic presence.”

She added, “I’ve never doubted. My mom’s best friend once asked her how she kept her faith through difficult times, and my mom said, ‘Where else would I go? Faith is home.’”

“God is how I am holding hands with my mom,” she said.

“I will not let whoever did this take my children’s mother from them … They will not take our love. They will not take our faith.”