The alleged abduction of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, has drawn reaction from an American family familiar with the anguish of abduction cases.
Ed Smart, father of a kidnap survivor, Elizabeth Smart, described Nancy’s abduction as “so surreal” and reflected on his own family’s ordeal. Elizabeth was kidnapped at age 14 and held captive for nine months in 2002, before being rescued.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie kidnapped by cartel? Theory emerges about Savannah Guthrie’s mom
Who is Elizabeth Smart?
Elizabeth Smart‘s abduction caught the light of the media and became one most talked-about missing-person cases.
Elizabeth was 14 when she was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 5, 2002. Her kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell, held her captive for nearly a year before her rescue in March 2003.
Her father, Ed Smart, said in an interview with CBS Morning that they were always questioning where Elizabeth was and what she was dealing with. “The worst part of it is not knowing,” he added.
He mentioned in the interview with CBS that the community support was a great help during their search for Elizabeth. Ed said, “It brought us great hope that … with all of this effort from everyone and certainly the media played a huge role.”
He added, “We thought if everyone is out there looking, we are going to find her, and certainly we hope the same for Nancy.”
The case sparked national coverage, two books from her family members and a show based on her abduction. This later led Elizabeth to become an activist on child safety and Amber Alerts.
Since her rescue, she has become an advocate on issues related to missing persons, victims of sexual abuse, trauma recovery and child safety.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie is ‘alive but scared’; daughter Savannah gets chilling ransom note
Ed calls Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping “surreal”
When asked about Nancy’s disappearance, Ed told CBS, “Something like this happening is so surreal you can’t believe that, you know, it’s happening, especially to an older woman.”
He emphasized on the fact that in such cases, family is initially the first person of interest. He said, “As time goes on you learn that the family is, unfortunately, the first area that law enforcement have to check off and clear.”
He added, “It is horrendous and it is so difficult to deal with on top of having your daughter, your family member gone.”
Ed advises Guthrie’s family to keep speaking to their mother, Nancy and the person who possibly abducted her via videos on social media.
Savannah Guthrie and her family released such a video on Wednesday, urging the possible kidnapper to contact them with proof that Nancy is alive.