ToplineSavannah Guthrie will return to the “Today” morning show as an anchor in April, NBC announced, two months after the disappearance of her mother, which captured national attention and sparked an ongoing investigation.Guthrie has been absent from "Today" as the investigation into her mother's disappearance continues. (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty ImagesKey FactsGuthrie’s first day back at “Today” will be April 6, more than two months since her last appearance, which was on Jan. 30.Guthrie has taken an extended absence from anchoring NBC’s flagship morning show since her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing from her Arizona home in early February.“I can’t not come back, because it’s my family,” Guthrie said in the latest part of her interview with former “Today” host and Guthrie’s substitute, Hoda Kotb, adding, “I think it’s part of my purpose right now.”Guthrie said it feels “hard to imagine doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness,” admitting, “I don’t know if I’ll belong anymore, but I would like to try.”Guthrie’s interview with Kotb aired in three parts between Thursday and Friday, with Guthrie also saying she fears her mother may have been targeted because of Guthrie’s fame as a “Today” anchor, and that she believes the two ransom notes she received were genuine.What’s The Latest On The Guthrie Investigation?Nancy Guthrie was first reported missing on Feb. 1, in a case authorities have described as a possible abduction. Leads in the case have been scarce, though authorities have discovered blood on Guthrie’s front porch that matches her DNA and released footage from Guthrie’s Google Nest doorbell camera that shows a masked man outside her door, whom authorities have deemed a suspect. Investigators found gloves two miles from Guthrie’s house that appear to match gloves the man wore in the Google Nest footage, but authorities said last month DNA on the gloves didn’t match anything in the FBI database or at Guthrie’s home. In late February, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it would decrease the number of officers assigned to the Guthrie investigation. Multiple media outlets have received alleged ransom notes demanding payment in cryptocurrency in return for Guthrie’s mother, though law enforcement has not verified their authenticity. Guthrie said last month her family would offer a reward up to $1 million for information that leads to the discovery of their mother. Key BackgroundGuthrie has been a co-anchor of “Today” since 2012, joining after serving as a legal analyst and White House correspondent for NBC News. Kotb was Guthrie’s longtime co-anchor, and she took over Guthrie’s duties just months after retiring from the show. “Today” ratings surged 23% in the days following Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, with the NBC show toppling ABC’s “Good Morning America” as the top morning show. Guthrie’s future on the show had been unclear throughout the investigation, though she said earlier this month she planned to return at an unspecified date.Further ReadingSavannah Guthrie Says Mother Nancy May Have Been Targeted Due To Her Fame (Forbes)