Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, had a thriving social calendar before she was brutally kidnapped from her Arizona home in a crime that left the local community reeling.
Her longtime friend and book club friend, Mary Ann Blevins, shared details of the weeks leading up to Nancy’s disappearance in an interview with Page Six on Wednesday.
“We were together last month,” Blevins said, explaining that they had met at their monthly book group meeting.
Blevins, 86, recalled that Nancy, 84, was “in good spirits” when their team of eight worms got together.
“We’ve known each other for years,” Blevins explained. “I met him a long time ago, when we started a book club.”
“We keep in touch a lot,” he continued. “He’s just a good person.”
Besides their study group together, Blevins shared that Nancy spends her time with her mahjong team and her grandchildren.
“[Nancy’s] the daughter lives here and she has a little boy who sometimes picks her up from school or watches her,” Blevins said, referring to Savannah’s sister, Annie Guthrie, who lives nearby.
Blevins expressed concern for Nancy’s health, noting that she “needs medication” and “has trouble walking.”
“It’s amazing — knowing someone for years and then something like this happens. It’s unbelievable,” Blevins said, describing his friend as a “very sweet person” who was “very talkative.”
When asked if Nancy ever expressed fear of being alone or being kidnapped, Blevins said, “No, she wouldn’t.” When asked if he ever addressed security concerns, Blevins said, “No, not at all.”
“Anyone who knew him and met him loved him,” Blevins said. “I don’t think he has any enemies, that’s why this whole thing is so scary.”
Nancy was reported missing on Sunday morning after not attending church.
The last known sighting of Nancy happened the night before around 9:30 pm, after having dinner with Annie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni.
Although authorities initially said Annie was the last person to see her mother, law enforcement officials told The Post on Wednesday that Cioni was the last person to see her alive after taking her to her home around 9:45 p.m.
On Monday, the County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that Nancy’s home was being treated as a crime scene and that she may have been abducted from her home while she was sleeping.
“[Nancy] he did not attend,” said Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, adding that investigators believe “the circumstances that occurred at the scene. […] they are inherently suspicious.”
As the investigation continued, traces of blood were seen on photographs of Nancy’s home.
Savannah asked her fans for their prayers in a lengthy Instagram post on Feb. 2, while her husband, Michael Feldman, told Page Six that he had “nothing new to report.”
On Tuesday, police confirmed they weren’t releasing a ransom demand before TMZ reported they found a note demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin for Nancy’s release.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department released a statement Tuesday saying it is “aware of reports circulating about potentially exculpatory note(s) in connection with the Nancy Guthrie investigation.”
“We take all tips and get paid the most,” the statement continued. “Anything that comes in, it goes directly to our detectives who work with the FBI.”
That day, the FBI was seen visiting Annie’s home in Arizona for a two-hour meeting. Savannah is believed to have been at home at the time of the meeting.
On Wednesday, a police spokesman confirmed that a suspect or person of interest has not been identified.
Savannah has a close relationship with her mother and shared a statement with “Today” showing that she encourages anyone with information to “contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.”
