Gayle King got emotional while reporting on Savannah Guthrie’s missing mom, Nancy Guthrie.
During Thursday’s “CBS Mornings” episode, she opened the show by discussing Savannah’s new Instagram video with her two siblings, where they begged for Nancy’s safe return after she was allegedly kidnapped from her Arizona home.
“We’re starting things a little differently this morning because, like you, we’re all waking up this morning with very heavy hearts — praying for our friend and our colleague, Savannah Guthrie,” King said as she sat between Vladimir Duthiers and Adriana Diaz.
“Her mom Nancy is still missing at this hour and late last night, the Guthrie family went public with a very emotional message.”
King, 71, teared up as she called Nancy’s mysterious disappearance “an unimaginable situation for the Guthrie family.”“Savannah just got to me where she says ‘mommy,’” King said, referencing the “Today” show anchor’s heartbreaking video shared Wednesday night. “To hear a grown woman say, ‘Mommy, we’re all looking for you.’ Everybody’s looking for her.”“This is something that none of us can imagine having to do,” the CBS journalist went on.She also called the situation “so frightening and so disturbing,” pointing out that she “can’t stop thinking about Savannah and her siblings putting that video message out.”
An emotional King added, “Your heart can’t help but break for her.”
King also spoke about the special bond Savannah had with her mother.
“We all know how close she was to her mother,” King told viewers. “You keep seeing those pictures over and over and over again. We’re trying to make sense of something that makes no sense. And that’s why we keep struggling and gasping for something. Help us understand how this is happening, why this is happening and what we can do about it? It’s so, so, so scary to me.”
Nancy was reported missing Sunday morning after she failed to show up at church.
The last known sighting of the 84-year-old matriarch took place the night before at around 9:30 p.m., after having dinner with daughter Annie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni.
On Monday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that Nancy’s home was being treated as a crime scene and that she may have been abducted when she was sleeping.
As the investigation unfolded, an apparent trail of blood could be seen in photos of Nancy’s home.
Savannah, who has skipped the “Today” show since her mom’s disappearance, filmed a video with her siblings, Annie and Camron, where they asked the alleged captors for proof that Nancy was alive.
“Our mom is our heart, and our home. She is 84 years old. Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, she needs it not to suffer,” Savannah said.
The NBC journalist also addressed the existence of an unverified ransom letter that allegedly demanded a payout via Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy’s release.
“As a family we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk,” Savannah stated.
“However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know — without a doubt — that she is alive, and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen.”
At the end of the video, Savannah vowed that the family “will not rest” until they are with her again.
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