Nancy Guthrie was in good spirits and appeared to be in good health when she met a local TV reporter months before she disappeared from her Arizona home.
Andrew Christiansen, who worked for Tucson station KGUN 9, met the 84-year-old alongside her daughter, Today presenter Savannah Guthrie, during a filming session at El Charro restaurant in Tucson last October. Nancy was reported missing on January 31, and investigators have been examining the possibility that she was abducted.
Introducing Christiansen on Brian Entin Investigates, podcast host Entin noted that the reporter was among the first journalists to arrive at Nancy’s home after her disappearance.
“But he was also at El Charro restaurant, which was featured in that ‘Savannah Goes Home’ segment on the Today show that aired several months before Nancy went missing, when Savannah Guthrie and Nancy Guthrie went to the restaurant.”
Andrew then recalled: “I didn’t know [Savannah's] mom was going to be there — her sister was also there — but it was really nice to meet her family and meet Savannah. She’s a really, really nice person, and I got to know a little bit more about her.”
He added about Nancy: “[She was] a really nice lady [who] really spoke to Savannah’s accomplishments... One thing that really struck me when I was watching the Today show being filmed is that Savannah kept saying: ‘I love you, Mom.’
“And then her sister was there, too. So she said: ‘I love you’ to her sister as well... You could really feel the love that family had for each other. So that’s what kind of struck a chord when I heard what happened to Nancy. It kind of made it a little more personal when it came to reporting on it.”
He added about Nancy: “She looked great. Everywhere Savannah went, she went. She did not need any help walking...
“She talked to me very well… she seemed fine, and she was excited to be there.”
Nancy remains missing after last being seen at her home in Arizona on January 31. Authorities have been investigating whether she was abducted by a masked intruder, who was captured on doorbell footage, while they have also been looking into claims made in ransom notes that suggested Nancy died shortly after she was kidnapped due to health issues.
During his appearance on the podcast, Andrew also spoke about being one of the first reporters on the scene at Nancy’s home after she was reported missing on February 1.
He said: “There weren’t that many police lights or deputy lights, so it was very, very dark. And the sheriff was on scene, Sheriff Chris Nanos, which is not typical of a crime scene.
“At the time, they were not calling it a crime; she was just a missing person. But it’s not very typical for the sheriff to come out on a missing person case.
“But I think that’s what kind of struck the chord, like: ‘Wow, this is probably bigger than they’re really saying’...
“When I got out there, there wasn’t even the police tape. So it was a little different of a scene than you would traditionally see. I’ve seen a lot of scenes, being a news reporter.”
Savannah and her family offered a $1 million reward for Nancy’s return, but they still don’t know what happened to her.
One of the ransom notes sent to KOLD-TV 13 News on 6 February addressed the family and claimed Nancy had died after being abducted and had been “buried in nature”.
It read: “We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her; that was not our intention.
“She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart-related. She is buried in nature now.
“Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.”
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