A Famous Journalist and a Migrant Farm Worker: Now Part of a Club No One Should Belong To

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On the same day Savannah Guthrie, cohost of the Today Show, gave her first on-camera interview about the Feb. 1 disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, I received a message from a missing person advocate in New Jersey.

​Brenda Trinidad, who helps spread the word about missing people in the Garden State, told me about the case of a mother in the town of Hammonton, located 35 miles south of Philadelphia, who is searching for her son, Lizandro Sartiaguin. The 27-year-old vanished on February 27, 2026.

Lizandro Sartiaguin vanished in Hammonton, New Jersey on 2/27/2026

​As I listened to Savannah Guthrie talk about the pain and uncertainty her family has faced since her mother was taken from her home in Tucson, AZ, my thoughts also turned to Lizandro’s mother, Fabiola. Despite their worlds being vastly different—Savannah, a high-profile journalist, and Fabiola, a migrant farm worker—both women now belong to a club no family should ever have to join.

I called Fabiola and explained that Brenda had told me about her son’s case. Right away, she said in Spanish, “¡Necesito encontrar a mi hijo! Él también merece recibir atención.” I need to find my son. He, too, deserves attention.

Fabiola hesitated to share information, at first, explaining that she had received calls from scammers who claimed to have her son and demanded payment in exchange for his return.

​“They wanted $50,000, then $10,000. One man even told me to meet him in downtown Hammonton,” Fabiola said. “He told me to show up alone and bring the money.” 

​Sadly, this happens a lot to families of the missing. Scammers also targeted the Guthrie family with fake ransom demands (although in her recent interview with NBC, Savannah said she still believes some of the demands were legitimate).

The more I talked to Fabiola, the more she opened opened up.

Who is Lizandro?

​I asked Fabiola to tell me about her son. She explained that Lizandro works in the blueberry fields near Hammonton. The family is originally from Nayarit, Mexico, but have been living in the U.S. for almost two decades. His wife and daughter live in Mexico.

“We're farm workers and permanent legal residents of the United States,” Fabiola said. “My son is here legally.”

​It saddened me that she felt compelled to immediately clarify their legal status—a reflection of the times we live in. Fabiola said Hammonton police did check with the Department of Homeland Security, but that Lizandro is not in their custody. His wife in Mexico has not heard from him either, according to Fabiola.

She then explained that in 2020, her son was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him with cognitive issues and that he now suffers from depression.

​“He hadn’t been able to work because of the weather," Fabiola explained. “We can’t work the fields when it’s cold, and he gets depressed and anxious because he really enjoys working and because he worries about not being able to provide for his wife and child in Mexico.”

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​Fabiola last spoke to her son around 10 a.m. on Feb. 27. She called to ask how he was doing.

 “He said, ‘I’m doing good, mom,’ but that he was really tired and was going to take a nap. When I called him later that evening, he didn’t pick up anymore,” Fabiola said, fighting back tears. She asked her other son, Simon, to look for him. Simon told me that he and his friends searched the neighborhood and nearby areas for two days before reporting his brother missing to the Hammonton Police.

​Fabiola explained that it has not been easy dealing with the authorities.

​“We went to them for help, but it seems to bother them when we call or go there in person," Fabiola said. “The detective seemed very annoyed with us.” 

​That’s when Brenda, the missing person advocate, stepped in to help.

​“She advocated on our behalf, and we are very grateful,” Fabiola said. “Thanks to her insistence, the detectives came and gathered personal items, including a toothbrush and a razor, for DNA purposes, in case they find him.”

​The family said Lizandro does not own a car and left his phone, wallet, ID, and medication behind. A home surveillance video posted on Facebook supposedly shows him walking on Bridge Avenue in Hammonton on the day he disappeared.

​​​Unlike the Guthrie case, which has received wall-to-wall media attention, coverage of Lizandro’s disappearance has been minimal. Although the local Telemundo station in Philadelphia mentioned Lizandro’s case, his family has struggled to generate additional media coverage. They have been searching for him mostly on their own, with Brenda’s assistance and community support, and are using social media to share updates.

​“God is good, and he’s going to help us find him. I just know it,” Fabiola told me.

​Savannah Guthrie has also spoken publicly about relying on her faith during this difficult time. ​​By doing so, and given that she is famous, she is showing the grief that thousands of families endure when a loved one goes missing. That is what grief looks like. Her pain was palpable in that interview, as was Fabiola’s when I spoke to her by phone.

​Both women have something else in common: they desperately need the public’s help to find their loved ones. There is a $1 million reward for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie's whereabouts.

As of now, there is no reward offered in Lizandro's case. ​He is 5’6, weighs 175 lbs., and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a gray jacket, and brown work boots.

​Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call the Hammonton Police Department at 609-561-4000.

Lizandro Sartiaguin NAMUS profile