A heavy feeling has loomed over the Today show for the past week: Co-anchor Savannah Guthrie has been noticeably absent while dealing with an extremely public nightmare.
The appalling spectacle surrounding Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
In a post-true crime world, the combination of celebrity and social media is piling chaos onto tragedy.
Kyndall Cunningham is a culture writer who explains the figures and social trends that influence how we think about gender, image, relationships, wellness, and consumption. Previously, she wrote for the Daily Beast and contributed to several publications, including Vulture, W Magazine, and Bitch Media.
On February 1, authorities began searching for Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, following what is now believed to be an abduction from her home outside of Tucson, Arizona. As police try to identify a suspect or even a person of interest, the details of the case have become increasingly dark. And the public can’t look away.
The investigation began last Sunday when Nancy Guthrie didn’t show up to church, prompting community members to notify her family. After her family called 911, Arizona law enforcement went to her home, discovered what Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos described as a “crime scene,” and then began search efforts. Authorities have since released a timeline of the night Guthrie disappeared; it says, among other details, that her doorbell camera was disconnected and that her pacemaker app had been disconnected from her phone.
The basic facts of Nancy Guthrie’s case are shocking enough. And its connection to the Today host who brightly delivers news and human interest stories to millions of Americans every morning makes the story even more disorienting.
But it’s the kind of disturbing saga that thrives in our current media landscape.
Become a Vox member
to continue reading.
