If you’re a true-crime junkie like me, there’s a good chance you have been following at least some of the coverage of missing Arizona mom Nancy Guthrie.
The 84-year-old Tucson resident is best known as the mother of NBC News personality Savannah Guthrie.
The elder Guthrie went missing on Feb. 1 and has not been seen or heard from since.
Theories include that she was kidnapped from her home by a stranger or strangers and is being held for ransom. Another theory is that she was the victim of a house invasion gone bad.
Another possibility that has been floated about is that her other daughter (Annie) and/or her husband (Tommaso) were allegedly involved in her disappearance.
While law enforcement and online sleuths have not yet cracked the case, one thing is for sure. The case has drawn a tremendous amount of coverage, especially on networks such as FOX News.
As someone who enjoys watching a variety of news outlets, I have seen wall-to-wall coverage of the case on FOX News for multiple hours a day. That is not to say that CNN, News Nation, and others haven’t had their fair share of coverage.
Americans go missing on a regular basis
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons database, which receives its funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, reports that more than 600,000 people go missing annually. The good news is that the bulk of those cases are resolved rather quickly.
While Guthrie has not even been missing a full two weeks, it doesn’t help the anguish family and friends are going through.
Given her age and reported medical condition, time is of the essence in finding her.
We all hope for a safe and happy resolution to this case. Sadly, my gut tells me she is no longer with us.
If she were being held for ransom, we likely would have seen a photo from those responsible for taking her, proving she is alive.
As someone who had a family friend murdered decades ago, I have seen firsthand the pain that loved ones go through when they lose someone close in such a horrific manner.
While there is still no answer as to what happened to Nancy Guthrie, stop and ask yourself if you or a loved one went missing, would there be such media coverage?
I think we all know the answer to that.
While we in the media have a job to do in covering such cases, who it is that has gone missing will often determine whether we, the public, will hear about it.
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