Savannah Guthrie’s Message to Mom’s Possible Kidnappers Echoes 'Silence of the Lambs'

Savannah Guthrie’s heartbreaking plea to her mother Nancy’s possible kidnappers has a striking similarity to a line from the 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs.”

In a video message posted by Savannah and her siblings Annie and Camron February 4, the “Today” anchor tells the potential captors, “[Nancy] is full of kindness and knowledge. Talk to her and you’ll see.”

Afterward, many drew parallels to a line from “Silence of the Lambs,” the Oscar-winning film about FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who consults with cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to catch a killer on the loose named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine).

In one scene, Sen. Ruth Martin (Diane Baker) sends a message to Buffalo Bill, who has kidnapped her daughter Catherine (Brooke Smith).

Martin goes in front of the TV cameras and says at one point, “Catherine is very gentle and kind. Talk to her and you’ll see.”

Former FBI Special Agent Lance Leising told The New York Post that this sort of language is a standard tactic when communicating with abductors.

“A plea to the kidnapper to make them feel empathy is usually powerful,” Leising explained.

“That victim is a commodity, not a person, to the captors,” he said. “It’s a very standard negotiator playbook to make the victim appear human. Humanizing them to the captor.”

Leising insisted, “They didn’t purposefully try to make that identical to ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ It’s just standard operating procedure to send out that type of message.”

Nancy was reported missing Sunday, February 1, when she failed to show up for church. Authorities believe she was kidnapped from her Tucson home, and they are investigating unverified ransom letters.

On Saturday, Savannah and her siblings released a dramatic new video message.

Savannah spoke for the family in the video, saying, "We received your message, and we understand."

She went on, "We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace."

She ended by stating directly, "This is very valuable to us — and we will pay.”

The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department have asked anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the recovery of Nancy or the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her abduction.