A child's drawing of an umbrella in the rain has captured a family's anguish. 'I know it might not seem like it but I really need my mommy,' reads Vale's message.

Vale, 12, is Savannah Guthrie's daughter. The 54-year-old Today co-anchor shared the drawing on Instagram on Sunday, 1 November, saying it 'says so much about how I feel'.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona, home on 31 January and reported missing the next day. Authorities believe she was taken against her will.

Nine months later, no suspect has been identified. Savannah said life may appear 'normal', but 'it's not and it never will be'.

The Health Toll of Not Knowing

A study of relatives of people who went missing during conflict and the 2004 tsunami in southern Sri Lanka examined ambiguous loss, the distress caused by not knowing a loved one's fate.

The qualitative study involved 24 first-degree relatives. Twenty-one were unsure what had happened, while three believed their loved one had died.

Researchers identified six themes: lack of closure, hope, guilt, helplessness, perpetual suffering and an emotional vacuum. The study also discussed symptoms of depression and conflicts within and between relationships.

The authors said relatives can be 'locked in grief' indefinitely. The study did not involve the Guthrie family and cannot establish how its members are affected.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) describes not knowing a loved one's fate as one of the most difficult types of loss. The constant swing between hope and despair can be emotionally exhausting.

Families may hold on to hope or consider every possibility. The ICRC says both responses are valid, and relatives may react differently to uncertainty.

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A Public Face, Private Grief

Savannah has continued appealing for information while working on Today. In June, she said she cries every morning on the way to work and again on the way home.

She rejected suggestions that she had forgotten her mother, saying, 'It's always with me'. In August, Savannah wrote on Instagram that the family's 'hearts are in ruins'.

Helping Children Cope With Uncertainty

Savannah and her husband, Michael Feldman, are raising Vale and nine-year-old Charley. In March, she told Hoda Kotb it was 'so hard' to explain the investigation because 'you want to protect them'.

Vale would ask her, 'Mama, any leads? You hear anything? Any hope?' The couple try to talk with their children and give them 'a little more certainty' than they have, 'to let them grieve'.

The ICRC advises speaking openly with children in age-appropriate language and giving them a safe space for emotions. Children who feel excluded may search online for answers.

CCIMA reproduces guidance, with permission, from New South Wales' Families and Friends of Missing Persons Unit. It advises explaining what 'missing' means, informing schools and making time for children's questions.

Caring for Body and Mind

The guidance recommends regular meals, enough sleep and gentle exercise. It also advises consulting a GP about physical symptoms and accepting help to make time for rest.

The ICRC suggests walking, deep breathing, music and spiritual practices as moments of relief. It encourages families to take breaks from searching and seek support from trusted people.

Families are advised to limit social media and news exposure because online information may be misleading. The guidance warns that drugs and alcohol can worsen mood and problem-solving.

Appeal for Information Continues

The Pima County Sheriff's Department said its task force was continuing to work with laboratory partners to advance DNA analysis. It urged anyone with potentially relevant information to come forward, stressing that even small tips could help the investigation.

The family has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Nancy's recovery. 'We need someone to help us, tell us what you know,' Savannah wrote in her latest appeal.

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