“It’s so hard with kids, you know, because you want to protect them,” the “Today” anchor lamented during her interview with Hoda Kotb.

Savannah Guthrie says she’s given her kids ‘more certainty’ around her mom’s abduction: ‘Let them grieve’

"It's so hard with kids, you know, because you want to protect them," the "Today" anchor lamented during her interview with Hoda Kotb.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.

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on March 26, 2026 12:09 p.m. ET

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Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy; Savannah with her children Vale and Charley. Credit:

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty; Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

Savannah Guthrie has had to navigate the toughest questions in the wake of her mother Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, but none more heartbreaking than those from her daughter Vale, 11, and son Charley, 9.

During her first interview since her mom went missing on Feb. 1, the longtime *Today* anchor shared some insight into how much she's been sharing with her children about the investigation into their grandmother's abduction with close friend and fellow *Today *anchor Hoda Kotb.

"It's so hard with kids, you know, because you want to protect them," Savannah said of the investigation into her 84-year-old mother's disappearance from her Catalina Foothills, Ariz. "Vale would write me all the time, 'Mama, any leads? You hear anything? Any hope?'"

Savannah Guthrie with her husband Mike Feldman and children Vale and Charley.

Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

The mother of the *Today* anchor was last seen outside her home on the evening of Jan. 31 when she was dropped off after having dinner with family. Nancy was declared missing the next day, after she didn't show up at a friend's house for her weekly church meeting.

The situation grew more dire when, on Feb. 2, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos announced that Nancy's disappearance was being investigated as a crime and declared her home a crime scene, revealing that traces of Nancy's blood had been discovered on her porch. Since then, authorities have described the case as a possible kidnapping or abduction, but clues have been scarce. There have been breaks in the case, such as ransom notes and security footage featuring a masked man tampering with Nancy's doorbell, but nothing has led to concrete clues to Nancy's whereabouts.

While Savannah and her two siblings Annie and Camron have weathered the media scrutiny throughout the investigation with a determination to find answers, the broadcast journalist said that she and her husband, Michael Feldman, have tried to keep their kids as informed as possible without delivering false hope.

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"We try to talk to them and try to give them a little more certainty than we have, to let them grieve," Savannah told Kotb.

The mom of two commented on the added difficulties facing her sister and brother-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, and their son, Olmo, who live just minutes from Nancy in Tucson. "There's just a way in which this is even so much harder on Annie and Tommy and Omo because they're there," she acknowledged. "And they were there every day for my mom. They made it possible for her to stay in the house we grew up in that she loved so much."

She noted that Annie and Cioni, "let [Nancy] have her space," and added, it's "even more excruciating for them and all they've been through."

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Seven weeks into the search for Nancy, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest. The Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI urged those with information to contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Savannah Guthrie and mother, Nancy Guthrie.

Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

Savannah and her siblings have made several public pleas for information and increased the reward for Nancy's return to $1 million. The family has acknowledged that while she "may already be gone," they can not be at peace until her disappearance is resolved.

In a Feb. 24 video, Savannah told viewers, "She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves, and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother Pierce and with our daddy. If this is what is to be, then we will accept it, but we need to know where she is. We need her to come home."

Savannah reiterated the sentiment during her interview, in which she told Kotb that "for one of the very few times in my life — I did hear God speak to me."

"As I said to myself, 'I can handle anything, God, I can handle anything. I just can't handle not knowing. We can't handle not knowing. I have to know.' And I heard a voice. And it said, 'You do know where she is. She's with me. She's with me.' So whether she's on this side still or whether she is in heaven, I know where she is. I know who she's with. But we need to know."

Savannah and Kotb's emotional conversation will continue with a third segment slated to air on Friday, March 27. A special *Dateline* will also air that night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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