Surrounded by vast desert, the long, windy road leading to Nancy Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills is dotted with thorny cacti and charming homes.

At night, the unincorporated community north of Tucson, Arizona is secluded and dark. That tranquility is what drew Nancy and her family to the area decades ago.

“The quality of life is laid back and peaceful,” the mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie said in November of her community.

three Months later, authorities said Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home, where she lived alone in a quiet neighborhood, and was last seen Saturday night.

Nancy’s disappearance made national news and brought fresh grief to a quiet community that had brought healing to a Savannah family after the death of her father.

“When I come home, it’s like my whole soul has come home. I feel my father in the wind,” Savannah said in November. “The desert, the cacti, the animals. It’s such a unique place and a beautiful place to visit.”

When Savannah was born in 1971, Nancy and her husband Charles Guthrie were living in Australia. Charles worked there as a mining engineer. The family moved to Arizona when Savannah was young and remained there forever.

When Charles, beloved by many, died of a heart attack in 1988, the family fell apart. According to her Father’s Day essay, Savannah was 16 years old at the time. I wrote it for today In 2014.

“My father was a man of seemingly unlikely qualities: always strong, sometimes frightening, loyal to the end, and at the moment of need, disarmingly kind and gentle,” Savannah wrote.

Tall, affectionate and funny, Charles lived his life searching for moral clarity, which Savannah said could be frightening. But he was also known for “turning a mundane trip to the post office into an uproarious story,” she said.

Savannah is the youngest of three children and stayed in Arizona for college. attendance University of Arizona. Her sister Annie Guthrie didn’t go far either.

“Even though we were both college students, we made a verbal agreement that one of us would always be home on weekend nights so that my mom wouldn’t be alone,” Savannah says. said “It’s something we did together as sisters.”

In the “Today” program segment about her Tucson roots Last fall, the NBC host called herself a “daughter of the desert.”

In this corner, Savannah and Nancy dined together at a local restaurant. One of them was when the hosts featured Savannah’s mother on their morning show.

Nancy called Tucson “amazing” in this corner, saying, “Just the atmosphere, the quality of life is laid back and peaceful.”

“I like watching the javelina eat my plants,” she added with a laugh, referring to the pig-like animals commonly seen in the area.

Quiet and secluded community

The Catalina Hills community, located along the Santa Catalina Mountains, is known for outdoor activities, not crime scene investigations or kidnapping reports, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Nancy’s neighbor, Jeff Ramey, described the area as quiet and safe, adding: “People are feeling anxious. I wouldn’t say scared, but obviously this is shocking.”

“We’ve lived here for six years, and it’s actually a wonderful, wonderful neighborhood,” Ramey told CNN’s Erin Burnett.

The community has a population of approximately 53,000 people and a median age of 56 years, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.

Lamy said desert homes are spaced out and hidden behind desert foliage, and most are on lots larger than an acre.

Mountain search and rescue teams are scouring the dense terrain and asking nearby residents to check bushland for evidence, Lamy added.

“We’ve all been monitoring, recognizing and reviewing the Ring cameras,” Ramey told CNN. “And unfortunately, so far we are unable to provide any assistance in that regard.”

Savannah often praises her mother and their close relationship. at her mother’s celebration 80th birthday On “Today,” the anchor described her as someone who “lived an honest and loyal life.”

“We suddenly and shockingly lost our father,” Savannah recalled in a 2023 interview. “And my mom was so strong that in many ways she put her own grief aside and was just there so we could all move forward together.”

According to Savannah, Nancy continued to raise the children by herself.

“She loves us and her family fiercely. Her selflessness and sacrifice for us, her steadfastness and unwavering confidence are the reasons we grew to do what we do.”

Nancy Guthrie’s church community also continues to keep her and her family in their prayers.

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church said: CNN affiliate station KTVB “We pray for mercy. We pray for her safe return. We pray for her family.”

Savannah was scheduled to fly to Italy on Monday for NBC’s long-awaited coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics. With a big overseas trip coming up, she spent most of last weekend with her husband and two kids.

But her plans are dashed when her family calls and tells her that Nancy is missing. An NBC producer who knew Savannah personally said it was “the worst phone call of her life.”

Officials said Savannah immediately flew to Tucson.

Pima County authorities said Nancy’s family called 911 to report her missing around noon local time after searching her home to no avail.

NBC has mobilized significant resources to support one of the network’s biggest and most beloved stars. Savannah’s co-hosts on the “Today” show shared the Pima County Sheriff’s Department tip line number, 520-351-4900, across television and social media.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Monday morning that Savannah contacted his office and that “she has a security team that has been in contact with us throughout the night.”