Savannah Guthrie wore a yellow outfit on her return to NBC’s Today in an apparent nod to the ribbons and flowers that had been left outside her mother Nancy’s home as a symbol of hope after she disappeared.

On Monday, the co-anchor made her first appearance on the show since January 30, amid the ongoing search for her mother who police believe was kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona, more than two months ago.

After Nancy Guthrie, 84, vanished, neighbors started putting yellow flowers in front of her home and tying yellow ribbons around their mailboxes, while Savannah Guthrie’s Today colleagues wore yellow ribbons on their outfits.

Laura Gargano, a neighbor of Nancy Guthrie’s, told People in February that the “yellow ribbon is a sentiment of hope and support after someone goes missing. I believe the use of the yellow ribbons goes back to hostage-taking in the 1970s.”

What To Know

Guthrie, who has co-anchored Today since 2012, stepped away from the program in early February after her mother’s disappearance.

Speaking on the show on Monday, she said that “it is good to be home” and thanked supporters for their well wishes.

“I’ve received so many letters, so much kindness to me and my whole family,” Guthrie said. “We feel it. We feel your prayers, so thank you so much.”

Yellow has become symbolic on Today and for well-wishers of Guthrie in Arizona.

“We’re all wearing ribbons as we send our love to Savannah and her family,” anchor Hoda Kotb said in a February 18 broadcast alongside fellow presenters Craig Melvin, Carson Daly and Al Roker.

According to the National Museum of American Diplomacy, yellow ribbons rose to prominence in 1979 during the Iran hostage crisis when 52 U.S. diplomats were held captive. The movement was sparked by the wife of the most senior hostage and drew inspiration from the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.”

Yellow ribbons have been used to symbolize hope for hostages elsewhere in the world as well, particularly in Israel following the abduction of more than 250 people in the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.

What Happened to Nancy Guthrie?

On February 1, a doorbell camera at Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson home recorded a masked man with a backpack and holstered firearm tampering with the device in the early morning. Approximately 30 minutes later, Guthrie’s pacemaker lost connection with her phone. She was reported missing later that day by her family after failing to attend church.

In the following days, her children—Savannah, Annie and Camron Guthrie—issued public appeals via social media, referencing reports of a ransom note and requesting communication from those responsible. Authorities confirmed blood found at the residence belonged to Guthrie, while deadlines outlined in the purported ransom letter passed without contact.

On February 10, law enforcement released the doorbell footage, describing it as a key development in the investigation. A man detained for questioning following a search in Rio Rico, Arizona, was later released without charges.

Investigators subsequently recovered gloves believed to be linked to the individual in the footage; however, DNA analysis did not produce a match in national databases. On February 24, the family announced a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery and, for the first time, acknowledged the possibility that she may be deceased.

By March 4, further DNA testing traced the gloves to a local restaurant employee who was not considered a suspect.

The investigation into the 84-year-old grandmother’s disappearance continues.