Nancy Guthrie case: Savannah to return to ‘Today’ on 6 April since mother's disappearance 2 months ago

Savannah Guthrie is set to return as co-anchor of ‘Today’ on April 6, NBC announced on Friday, more than two months after the unresolved disappearance of her 84-year-old mother. This will mark her first appearance back in the studio since January 30, just two days before her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing from her home in Arizona.

In an interview aired on the show, Guthrie said it felt difficult to return, as the programme is typically associated with positivity and lightness, and she does not want to appear inauthentic during such a challenging time. “But I can’t not come back, because it’s my family. I think it’s part of my purpose right now,” she said, according to Reuters.

Savannah Guthrie also used the interview as an opportunity to once again appeal for any information related to her mother’s disappearance. She mentioned, "We need someone to tell the truth. I have no anger in my heart. I have hope in my heart. I have love. But this family needs peace.”

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31 after spending the evening at the Tucson residence of her elder daughter, Annie Guthrie, and her husband.

In another segment of the interview with American broadcaster Hoda Kotb aired on Thursday, Savannah Guthrie said she and her siblings quickly realised that their mother had not simply wandered off. She pointed to troubling signs, including doors left open, blood found on the front doorstep, and a security camera that had been forcibly removed. She added that her brother immediately suspected that their mother had been abducted for ransom.

Nancy Guthrie missing case details

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1, with authorities suspecting that she was kidnapped or taken against her will. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released surveillance footage showing a masked individual outside her Tucson home on the night she disappeared. Her family has announced a $1 million reward for any information that could help locate Nancy Guthrie.

On February 15, authorities collected a DNA sample from gloves found about two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home, which appeared similar to those worn by the masked individual seen in the doorbell camera footage. By February 17, officials, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirmed that the DNA did not match any profiles in the national CODIS database.

Further analysis on March 4 linked the gloves to a local restaurant worker who was not considered a suspect, effectively ruling out what had initially been seen as a promising lead in the investigation.

(With inputs from agencies)