Gayle King Hopes Nancy Guthrie Saga Has Happy Ending

Gayle King says the abduction of Savannah Guthrie's mom Nancy is weighing heavily on her heart ... and, she's really hoping for a happy resolution.

We caught up with the longtime television host outside the The Fanatics Luncheon -- a pre-Super Bowl event in San Francisco -- Friday ... and we asked her about her peer's missing mother.

King says she's heartsick about the situation ... and she's reached out to send her love and support to Savannah already.

GK says the NBC host hasn't hit her up ... but, she knows she's busy with other issues -- and, she told her in her text she's not expecting a message back.

More than anything, Gayle says she's just hoping this story has a happy ending. She's also got thoughts on how law enforcement's handling the whole situation ... watch the clip all the way through to hear them for yourself.

Gayle is far from the only news anchor wishing Savannah and her family well ... Hoda Kotb made similar statements earlier this week -- and Guthrie's colleagues at NBC wished her well during a Winter Olympics broadcast.

As you know ... 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was last seen late Saturday night after a family member dropped her off at her Tucson-area home. She was reported missing the following day.

We received an alleged ransom note earlier this week, which laid out two deadlines for money to be handed over in exchange for Nancy. The note reveals some clues about the geographic area where Nancy may be, which our own Harvey Levin laid out using visual aids.

Law enforcement officers are diligently working the case ... and, they recently towed a car away from the scene and took a device from the roof of Nancy's home. A floodlight has seemingly been removed from the house as well.

While no one has been arrested in connection with the abduction yet, President Donald Trump says law enforcement has possibly identified a suspect.