Famous US television star to return to 'kidnapped feared dead' mother's Galway roots
The famous family with deep Galway roots are offering a $1 million reward for any information regarding her case
The daughter of a woman with strong Galway ties feared dead has vowed to return back to the west of Ireland with her children following a recent work trip to discover her mother’s roots.
Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy, 84, has been missing since February when she was kidnapped from her home in Arizona.
Her daughter Savannah is a famous television presenter on NBC News’ morning Show ‘Today’ and recently travelled to Ireland as part of a special show which aired on October 16.
The family, who only recently discovered their deep Galway roots as a result of the work trip, are offering a $1 million (€860,000) reward for any information regarding her case.
Savannah says she plans to return to Galway next summer with her children after feeling a real connection with her missing mother’s Irish heritage.
She told her colleagues and millions of viewers: “I'm already planning my trip. I'm gonna go back in June. I want to bring the kids. I think it's just so beautiful."
"We saw Cliffs of Moher from the ocean and then from this Martin Guerin farm [owner of Guerin's Path in Liscannor, Clare] right there. It was absolutely stunning. If you've been to Ireland and you haven't done the Cliffs of Moher, then you’re missing out."
She added: “That's what I think sets [Ireland] apart [from the rest of the world], it’s the people.”
“My mother’s family, my mother was Irish and her grandmother. They were from Galway. I loved that we went because I’d never been to Ireland before.”
The presenter has previously said that she fears her mother may be dead after DNA showed blood matching Nancy’s inside the residence and CCTV showed an armed, masked raider on her porch the night of her disappearance.
There has been some updates in the case but the family are still no closer to finding out the truth.
One person was arrested in February but was released without charge while another man, Derrick Callella, pleaded guilty to harassment charges after sending the family fraudulent ransom demands.
Savannah previously posted on Instagram pleading to those involved to let the family know what happened.
She said: “We … know that she may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in Heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother Pierce and with our daddy.”
“And if this is what is to be, then we will accept it, but we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.”
She continued: “Every day, we wake up and try to be strong and go on — because that’s what our joyful and resilient Mom taught us to do. But make no mistake — our hearts are in ruins.”
“We spend every waking moment thinking of her, longing for her, looking for her. There is a hole inside us that can never be filled. There is an ache that cannot be softened.
“And there is a determination in us that cannot be quenched — to find out what happened to her, so that we can give her the dignity of a proper goodbye — a celebration of her remarkable life that she so deserves.”