Savannah Guthrie Pulls Out of Olympics Opening Ceremony Coverage as Her Mother Remains Missing

Savannah Guthrie will no longer cover the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony for NBC amid her mother’s disappearance.

Guthrie, 54, was set to serve as a co-host alongside Terry Gannon, with commentary from snowboarder Shaun White, in Milan, Italy during the ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6.

PEOPLE can confirm that the Today host will no longer be a part of the coverage. Her former Today co-host, Hoda Kotb, is still scheduled to be in Milan for the duration of the Winter Olympics.

“Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time,” an NBC Sports spokesperson tells PEOPLE in a statement. “Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother. We will share additional information about our Opening Ceremony coverage plans soon.”

Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, went missing on Saturday, Jan. 31. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) launched an urgent search for the “vulnerable” 84-year-old one day later, with officials saying she was last seen at her residence near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. local time.

Nancy is described by police as a female with brown hair and blue eyes. She is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs around 150 lbs. It is currently unknown what clothes she was wearing at the time of her disappearance. 

Sheriff Chris Nanos of the PCSD said Nancy “suffers from some physical ailments, has some physical challenges,” and is “in need of medication” that “could be fatal” if not administered within 24 hours. “So we make a plea to anyone who knows anything about this, who has seen something, heard something, to contact us. Call 911. We don’t need another bad, tragic ending. We need some help,” Nanos said.

More concerningly, the sheriff said police have reason to believe that Nancy “did not leave on her own” and “didn’t just walk out of” her home. “We know there are other things at the scene that indicate she did not leave on her own,” he said.

“As I said yesterday, we saw some things at the home that were concerning to us,” Nanos shared. “We believe now, after we’ve processed that crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime scene, that we do, in fact, have a crime, and we’re asking the community’s help.”

Savannah did not appear on the Today show on Monday, Feb. 2. 

Sheinelle Jones filled in for Guthrie alongside Craig Melvin, who told viewers during the broadcast, “We want to get right to what is a deeply personal story for us, Nancy Guthrie, Savannah’s beloved mother, has been reported missing in Arizona.”

In a statement to the Today show on Monday, Savannah said, “On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.”