

NBC “Today” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie delivered a video plea for the safe return of her kidnapped mother, Nancy Guthrie, that eerily mirrored a famous line from the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.
Savannah, along with her siblings Annie and Camron, released an emotional video on Wednesday, urging Nancy’s potential captors to return her.
In a quivering voice, Savannah stated, “[Nancy] is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her, and you’ll see.”
Many have noticed that the phrasing is nearly identical to the line from the famous thriller, when Sen. Ruth Martin addresses the kidnapper of her daughter, Catherine, saying, “Catherine is very gentle and kind. Talk to her, and you’ll see.”
WATCH:
The Silence of the Lambs. pic.twitter.com/6iROwraEqt
— Inge NWN®
(@IENouwen) February 7, 2026
It is unclear whether this is a coincidence, given that it is a common practice to humanize kidnapping victims to those using them as a commodity, or whether it was done deliberately, as a message in response to something in the ransom note.
Speaking to the New York Post, former FBI Special Agent Lance Leising explained that such pleas are standard protocol in kidnapping cases.
“A plea to the kidnapper to make them feel empathy is usually powerful,” Leising said.
“That victim is a commodity, not a person, to the captors,” Leising continued. “It’s a very standard negotiator playbook to make the victim appear human. Humanizing them to the captor.”
“They didn’t purposefully try to make that identical to ‘Silence of the Lambs,’” he continued. “It’s just standard operating procedure to send out that type of message.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31.
BREAKING: Savannah Guthrie says family has agreed to pay ransom for mother’s release pic.twitter.com/ad2ssNW5cd
— BNO News (@BNONews) February 7, 2026
The captors have reportedly sent a ransom note to various media outlets demanding that $6 million be sent in bitcoin for her release, and the Guthrie family has agreed to pay it.
The post WATCH: Savannah Guthrie Echoed Iconic ‘Silence of the Lambs’ Line Word for Word in Tearful Plea for Kidnapped Mother’s Release appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

(@IENouwen) February 7, 2026