EXCLUSIVE: Savannah Guthrie Gets New Hope In Search For Missing Mom Nancy
Savannah Guthrie gets new hope in the search for her missing mom as the family's ordeal continues.
Aug. 11 2026, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart is sharing a message of hope with Savannah Guthrie as the search continues for the Today show anchor's missing mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Smart – who RadarOnline.com can reveal became a missing persons advocate following her 2002 abduction at age 14 and rescue nine months later – said she believes there is still a possibility frail Nancy could be found safe six months after the 84-year-old was snatched from her Arizona home.
Smart Holds Out Hope for Nancy
Elizabeth Smart said Savannah Guthrie's missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, could still be found alive.
"She could absolutely still be alive," Smart said, noting other people have been located following lengthy disappearances.
Smart, 38, added she's "heartbroken" over Nancy not having been located after more than 180 days, but insisted she has not given up on the case.
"I would remind people that we don't know all the details," she stressed. "I certainly hope that the investigators have more details than we do, and I certainly hope that they're making more progress."
The Survivor Files podcast host continues, "I want to remind people that there isn't a body, so there is still reason to have hope that she is alive and that we shouldn't give up until we find her."
Smart Urges Public to Help
The Pima County Sheriff's Department in Arizona issued an alert after Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, went missing on Sunday
Smart also pleaded for the public to have "all the compassion and grace for the entire Guthrie family" during this challenging time.
"If anyone knows anything or [has] seen anything or the smallest detail that might seem insignificant [but] can make all the difference, just report it," she said.
Smart herself was abducted at knifepoint from her Utah bedroom by self-anointed prophet Brian David Mitchell and brought to an encampment in the mountains, where he lived with his now ex-wife, Wanda Barzee.
Smart Survived Months of Captivity
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Brian David Mitchell abducted Smart from her Utah bedroom before she was rescued nine months later.
While in captivity, Smart said she was sexually assaulted and psychologically abused by Mitchell. But she was finally rescued after two bystanders recognized her captors and called 911.
Mitchell was sentenced to life in federal prison. Barzee was sentenced to 15 years in prison for her role in Smart's kidnapping, was released in 2018, but was arrested in 2025 for allegedly violating the conditions of her parole. She was later released on judicial orders.
