“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s family is still waiting for definite news about the kidnapping of her mother, Nancy Guthrie. The 84-year-old has been missing for more than a month, but the suspect has not yet been identified.
Experts interpret family members’ emotional state
As the search continues without answers, a family therapist said the uncertainty of the case has been especially painful for loved ones.
“They’re drowning in grief. They have a real sense of helplessness,” Ty Mendenhall, a family therapist at the University of Minnesota Medicine, said, according to the Associated Press.
“There are no clear-cut solutions yet. We know from research that ambiguous losses are the most psychologically painful.”
The concept, known as “ambiguous loss,” originally described by researcher Dr. Pauline Boss, refers to a type of grief that occurs when a loved one goes missing without clear closure, leaving the family caught between hope and mourning.
Savannah returns to Today Show
Savannah Guthrie returned to New York City on March 5 after spending several weeks in Tucson, where the search for her mother was centered.
The 54-year-old reporter returned to NBC’s Studio 1A in Rockefeller Center and made her first appearance on the “Today” show since her disappearance, where she was seen excitedly embracing her colleagues.
Her co-hosts, including Craig Melvin, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Carson Daly and Jenna Bush Hager, all wore small yellow ribbons in support, a symbol of solidarity with the Guthrie family.
Yellow becomes a symbol of hope
In Tucson, yellow has become a color associated with the hope of finding Nancy Guthrie. Neighbors and supporters decorated the area around her home with yellow flowers and ribbons as authorities continued to pursue leads in the case.
Savannah also visited a makeshift memorial outside her mother’s home earlier this week and left flowers.
Savannah shares message with supporters
Despite the uncertainty, Savannah Guthrie publicly thanked those who offered support during the ordeal.
After visiting the memorial, she shared a message on social media expressing her gratitude for the continued prayers.
“We are feeling the love and prayers,” she wrote. “Please don’t stop praying and hoping with us.”
