Hoda Kotb will continue to be a host on the Today show as she fills in for Savannah Guthrie amid the search for her missing 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Savannah normally hosts the morning talk show alongside Craig Melvin, but has not been on air since the beginning of February following the disappearance of her mother.
An urgent search continues for Nancy, who was last seen January 31 at her home near Tucson, Arizona. Federal and local authorities have spent the last three weeks trying to locate her and bring her home.
While filling in, Kotb — who left the Today show last year — mentioned all of the messages of support she’s received from viewers hoping for a positive outcome for Savannah’s mother.
“I was walking through the airport yesterday, I was just flying back here. The number of people who came up and said, one thing they kept repeating, which just struck me is, ‘She's like all of our moms. She's like all of our moms. Tell her we're praying. Tell her we're here,’” Kotb recalled. “And I think that's so important. It's touched everybody.”
Most recently, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday that DNA which was taken from a glove outside of Nancy’s home did not match any profiles in the FBI’s national DNA database.
Authorities are continuing to pursue numerous other leads in the investigation into Nancy’s abduction.
Savannah and her siblings have made multiple emotional pleas on social media, asking the supposed kidnapper to reach out and provide proof of life and further instructions for their mother’s safe return.
Earlier on Monday, TMZ founder Harvey Levin announced that his publication had received a fourth letter from an individual claiming to have knowledge of who kidnapped Guthrie. The individual is reportedly refusing to reveal the information until payment is made.
The sheriff's office is also reportedly working with Walmart after it discovered the brand of backpack the suspected kidnapper wore on the night Nancy Guthrie disappeared was sold exclusively at the retailer.
The backpack is a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.” Ozark Trail is a private, Walmart-owned outdoor brand that is only sold in its stores and on its website. However, it is possible the individual bought the pack from a private seller or from a second-hand sports retailer.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to a resolution of the case.
