Just under three months ago, Savannah Guthrie returned to her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, for a nostalgic tour revisiting the place that shaped her upbringing.
The special segment, which aired on NBC's Today show in November, framed Tucson as the city where her 'soul is home', with a focus on family and community.
Her mother, Nancy Guthrie, 84, made a rare on-air appearance, toasting to the 'gentle' desert town she settled in during the 1970s.
Now, however, there is growing concern behind the scenes at NBC that the feature may have inadvertently placed her elderly mother in danger, the Daily Mail has learned.
Nancy was abducted late Saturday night from her home in the affluent Catalina Foothills area of Tucson and has not been seen since.
When she failed to show up at church the following morning, relatives grew alarmed. The family reported her missing after discovering droplets of blood dotting the foyer of her $1 million property - a chilling sign investigators say points to foul play.
Her disappearance has cast the November Homecoming special in a stark new light.
'There's a lot of soul searching' at NBC about whether their segment made Nancy a target,' a Today show source told the Mail.
Savannah (with her mom Nancy) returned to Tucson in November for a special segment shining a light on her hometown
One of the emotional moments saw her eat local Mexican food with her sister Annie (left) and Nancy as they toasted to family
At the time, Savannah described the six-minute feature as her 'love letter to Tucson' - the desert city where she moved at age two from Australia and where her family put down roots.
The segment did not feature Nancy's home or disclose details about where she lived.
But after what happened to Nancy, 'people around here [NBC] are going to think twice before putting their family on television at all,' the source added.
The episode aired on November 5 during the Today show's morning broadcast and was promoted as part of a broader initiative highlighting anchors' backstories.
One of the most emotional moments showed Savannah sharing a meal with her family, including her mother Nancy and her sister Annie, as she spoke warmly about the meaning of home.
'By far my favorite part about Tucson is family,' Savannah says in a voiceover as it cuts to her dining with her mother and sister at a local Mexican restaurant.
Nancy then explains why she chose to move to Tucson in the 1970s, saying: 'the air, the quality of life, it's laid back and gentle.'
Now, just months later, those words have proven tragically ironic.
Police believe Nancy was violently snatched from her bed late at night on Saturday - with blood spatter outside the property hinting at the horror that unfolded.
Investigators not revealed a suspect or motive, and no reward or surveillance images have been released publicly to help identify whoever may be responsible.
Now, staff at NBC say they are concerned about putting their families on TV
EXCLUSIVE
As of Wednesday, authorities said they believe Nancy is still alive.
The investigation - which also involves the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department - is examining multiple theories, including the possibility that Nancy was kidnapped for ransom after demand letters were delivered to TMZ and an Arizona-based NBC affiliate.
The Daily Mail has also revealed that investigators are probing a separate and unsettling line of inquiry - superfans who had bombarded the Today host with gifts, letters and correspondence over the years.
Insiders told the Mail that NBC has been working closely with law enforcement to review any troubling fan interactions that could be relevant to the case.
The Today source said: 'Savannah has received many weird emails and social media messages over the year.'
'If she thinks that they're threatening or dangerous, she usually forwards them to the producers.'
They added that she typically receives 'a few a month.'
Nancy was last seen at around 9.30pm on Saturday night, when she was dropped off at her Tucson home by her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, 50, after an evening playing mahjong with her daughter Annie, 56.
On Sunday after a friend alerted Annie that that her mother had failed to attend church. When Annie the arrived at Nancy’s home, she found her gone -- her medication and cellphone left behind, and drops of blood splattered on the porch.