“Today” show star Savannah Guthrie is preparing to return to the NBC morning program as early as next month, nearly two months after her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona home.
A source told The New York Post that Guthrie hopes to return to her anchor desk after her children’s spring break on April 10.
A “Today” show spokesperson said Guthrie’s intended to return soon following her March 5 visit to Studio 1A in New York, her first time back since the disappearance.
“While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home,” the statement read.
During the visit, Guthrie addressed colleagues directly. “I have every intention of coming back,” she told them. “I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to.”
“I wanted you to know that I’m still standing, and I still have hope, and I’m still me. I’m holding onto my faith. I still believe.”
Nancy Guthrie was last seen the evening of January 31 and was reported missing February 1 when she failed to appear at church. The FBI released surveillance footage of a masked man at her front door around the time she vanished. Investigators describe the suspect as standing between 5’9″ and 5’10” with an average build and carrying a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI are jointly investigating. No suspects have been publicly identified.
The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy’s recovery, and has pledged an additional $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“Someone knows something,” the family statement said. “It’s possible a member of this community has information that they do not even realize is significant.”