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Cecilia "Cile" Steward's parents threw her a ninth birthday party last month, but one person wasn't there: the birthday girl herself.

Ever since Cile was swept away by the floodwaters that swamped Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country last summer, her mother has been coping with her grief by writing her daughter a letter every day.

Meanwhile, her father has been keeping tabs on the ongoing search by Texas authorities for her remains, and he's feeling less hopeful by the day.

"I have this sinking feeling of there's no way they're ever gonna find her," Will Steward said when he and his wife, CiCi Steward, sat down for an emotional "TODAY" interview this week with their long-time friend and fellow Texan, show co-host Jenna Bush Hager.

Cile was among the 130 people who were killed July 4 after slow-moving thunderstorms in Kerr County, Texas, caused the Guadalupe to overflow its banks, turning a meandering river into a terrifying torrent.

Cile, 8 years old at the time, was one of the 27 children and counselors at Camp Mystic, a venerable Christian summer camp for girls, who perished in the flood.

But unlike the other victims, Cile's body was never found.

"I write to her every day. I tell her how sorry I am that this happened to her. I'm sorry that her life was stolen from her," CiCi Steward told Bush Hager, her voice cracking.

"Despite the fact that I bawl crying every time I write to her, that is how I stay close to her," she said. "We look at her pictures daily. Thank God for the phones and the amount of photos and videos we have. A blessing and a curse, really."

The Stewards spoke with Bush Hager, with whom they've been friends for more than 20 years, on the same day they filed a lawsuit against the Eastland family, which has operated the all-girls camp for decades, in Travis County, Texas.

"They were completely unprepared," the couple's lawyer, Brad Beckworth, said of the Eastlands.

Despite the camp being in a flood plain and having a well-documented history of flooding, the Eastland family had a bare-bones emergency evacuation plan, and they repeatedly ignored the National Weather Service flooding alerts, the Stewards contend in their lawsuit.

So by the time they started evacuating the girls from the flooded cabins, it was already too late, the suit states.

"It's just absolute chaos," Beckworth told Bush Hager. "When you talk to the counselors, they can hear the screams. Nobody knows what to do. They don't know where to go."

The victims included Richard "Dick" Eastland, the owner of Camp Mystic. His family says he lost his life trying to save the girls.

The Stewards contend in the lawsuit that Eastland and his son, Edward Eastland, waited for more than an hour before they tried to evacuate the girls from the cabins.

They insisted in their interview with Bush Hager that it was the camp counselors and first responders who deserve the praise for saving most of the 750 girls who were at Camp Mystic when the flooding started.

"There are heroes at Camp Mystic and none of them are named Eastland," CiCi Steward said.

The Austin couple is seeking in excess of $1 million in actual and punitive damages, according to the lawsuit.

In response to the lawsuit, the Eastlands' lawyer Mikal Watts said they "intend to demonstrate and prove that this sudden surge of floodwaters far exceeded any previous flood in the area by several magnitudes, that it was unexpected and unforeseeable, and that no adequate early warning flood systems existed in the area."

The Stewards said they're furious the Eastland family is trying to get back into business while their daughter remains missing.

"It is an active crime scene," CiCi Steward said. "I don't know anyone in their right mind that would willingly send their child to an active crime scene."

"With the same leadership," Will Steward said, completing his wife's thought. "We're not opposed to children going to camp. We're opposed to the Eastlands, the audacity of sending out deposit slips when our child, one of their campers, who they've professed to love in this community, is still missing."

The couple's lawyer, Brad Beckworth, agreed.

"It's a rush to reopen without everybody knowing the facts of what happened," he said. "And, I mean, I can tell you as a parent, my children would never go back to a camp operated by this family."

Three days after the deadly flood last summer,Bush Hager went on "TODAY"and revealed that her mother, former first lady Laura Bush, had once been a camp counselor at Camp Mystic.

"But also, so many of my friends were raised at this camp," Bush Hager said. "Texas [summer] camps are institutions where many family members, generations — this camp was 100 years old — so grandmothers, mothers, kids have all gone there."

Speaking with the Stewards, Bush Hager asked CiCi Steward to read the statement the couple had prepared before the interview.

"Our hearts are shattered," the grieving mother read. "Our souls are scrambled. But we have no choice other than to fight for Cile and the other 26 girls' lives to have not been taken in vain. They deserve better."

More than an hour before dawn, on a pitch-black street lined with heaps of Minnesota snow, 10-year-old Elizabeth Zuna Caisaguano and her mother headed out to her school bus stop – just like they do every weekday at 6:10 a.m.

Out of nowhere, federal agents' vehicles surrounded the family's car in suburban Minneapolis. Elizabeth thought the agents were going to take her to school, her father told CNN.

Instead, the aspiring doctor and her mother were detained and flown 1,200 miles away to the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas – with the young girl's future up in the air.

Over the next month, at least five other kids from her small school district were also sent across the country to Dilley – including5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos.

"There are other students with whom we have lost contact who might also be in a detention facility," spokesperson Kristen Stuenkel said.

The children's plight has sparked renewed criticism over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota, known asOperation Metro Surge, which has alsoensnared children and separated family members.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson firmly denied accusations that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are trying to detain students.

"ICE does NOT target children or schools. That is not how it works," DHS said. "ICE keeps families together."

'ICE is going to drop me off at school'

On the bitterly cold morning of January 6, Elizabeth and her mother were driving to her school bus stop when federal agents intercepted the family's car and blocked it with their own vehicles, Elizabeth's father Luis Zuna said.

A witness captured the encounter on camera as multiple agents surrounded the family's car.

Elizabeth called her father, who was at his construction job, and said they had been stopped by ICE. But she told her father what sounded like reassuring words.

"She said, 'ICE is going to drop me off at school,'" Luis said. "So I thought, OK, they will drop her off at school, and we hung up."

But when Luis later called his daughter and didn't get an answer, he panicked and rushed to find her.

"He was here at school by 7:30 a.m. looking for her," Highland Elementary secretary Carolina Gutierrez said. "I know that because we open our school doors at 7:25, and he was the first person at my window."

Luis and school social worker Tracy Xiong hoped the ICE vehicle just hadn't arrived yet.

"Several staff members, including myself, waited outside the school building for a vehicle to approach and drop her off. No one ever came," Xiong said.

"That morning turned into hours of phone calls, desperately trying to locate a child. We did everything we could to keep Elizabeth's father calm and allowed him to remain at school as we searched for answers. By that afternoon, we had learned that Elizabeth and her mother were already taken to Texas."

DHS said parents "are asked (if) they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates.

"This is consistent with past administration's immigration enforcement," the agency said.

The agony of not knowing what would happen to his wife and only child overwhelmed Luis, Xiong said.

"In my profession, I have seen many people break down and grieve," she said. "But the image of Elizabeth's father will stay with me forever. I watched him sit in his car, bury his head in his hands and cry uncontrollably. Those are images you do not forget."

Two boys discover another schoolmate detained

Over the next several weeks, as Elizabeth languished in detention, at least six other children from her school district made the same cross-country journey from Minnesota to the Dilley detention center, Stuenkel said.

On January 29, a second-grade boy and a fifth-grade boy from Valley View Elementary joined their mother as they were taken away to Texas, the school district said.

"Their mother went to have her regularly scheduled immigration meeting," Stuenkel said. "As she was leaving it, ICE picked her up. Her two boys were at school at Valley View, and she called the school and asked the principal to bring her sons to her at the Whipple (Federal) Building here in Minnesota, where she was being held."

The family spent almost a week detained. On Wednesday, after outcry from school officials, the siblings and their mother were released from Dilley and returned to Minnesota.

And the boys reported a startling discovery in the Texas ICE facility – a schoolmate had been detained without the school district's knowledge.

"While the family was at the Dilley detention facility, the boys recognized another Valley View student in the cafeteria," Stuenkel said.

"This fifth-grade girl, her mother and stepfather had last been in contact with Valley View Elementary on January 9," she said. "School staff have been trying to reach them since that time and did not know where they were."

The fifth-grade girl is still detained at Dilley, along with a 17-year-old girl who was taken by agents along with her mother from their apartment complex last month, Stuenkel said.

DHS said it can't comment on cases without specific details about the children or their parents. But the school district said it could not release some of the detained students' names because they don't have written permission from their parents to do so – and in these cases, the parents are detained with their children.

Several other children from the school district have been released – including Liam, the preschooler who made national headlines after he and his father were taken away by agents from the driveway of their home.

Hours before Liam was detained, a 17-year-old Columbia Heights High School student on his way to school was also taken away by agents and sent to Texas, Stuenkel said. The teen has since been released and has declined to speak publicly about his case.

A young girl thought her 'dream was over'

Elizabeth's journey started in an impoverished, rural part of Ecuador, where her parents knew she would have little opportunity to thrive, her father said.

"The conditions were really tough. There were a lot of thieves, bad crime conditions," Luis said.

He said discrimination against indigenous people like him was rampant, particularly in some urban areas.

"We lived in the countryside, and we went down to the city one time, and that's when they attacked me – they almost killed me," he said, showing scars still visible on his face.

"So after they threatened me, that's when we decided to come here and seek asylum."

Luis, his wife Rosa and their daughter Elizabeth sought asylum in the US in 2020. The family followed all proper protocols, including attending every required hearing, immigration attorney Bobby Painter said.

But in September 2025, in the midst of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, a judge denied asylum for the family and issued a removal order, Painter said. The family promptly appealed the decision, and the case has been under appeal ever since, the attorney said.

In a statement to CNN, DHS said Elizabeth's mother "is an illegal alien from Ecuador with a final order of removal — meaning she was given full due process."

"Officers conducted a vehicle stop to arrest the illegal alien. Upon discovering a child was in the car, officers allowed her to make phone calls to place the child in the custody of someone she designated," DHS said. "She failed to find a trusted adult to care for the child, so officers kept the family together for the welfare of the child."

During the hourslong plane ride from Minnesota to Texas, Elizabeth was riddled with fear that she would be sent to Ecuador, said Gutierrez, a family spokesperson. Given the family's rural, impoverished community in Ecuador and limited access to education, Elizabeth later told her dad she thought her "dream was over."

'It's like they're stalking everybody'

Columbia Heights Public Schools is a tiny district of 3,400 students just north of Minneapolis. But the population seemingly swelled when federal agents descended on the area as part ofOperation Metro Surge.

"ICE is so prevalent in our community and it's like they're stalking everybody," Stuenkel said. "You can't even imagine how bad it is, because it's such an immigrant community. Over 51% of our students' home language is Spanish," and other immigrant families come from East Africa or Asia.

The school district has reported "ICE agents (who) have been roaming our neighborhoods, circling our schools, following our buses, coming into our parking lots and taking our kids."

At one school, "an ICE vehicle drove onto school property and came up to our high school loading dock, with no business being there. They were told to leave by the high school administration," CHPS said.

"Last week we had three students driving (separately) that got pulled over by ICE," Stuenkel said. All of those students were carrying their US passports and were released.

"But imagine if you were driving to work and three police cars pulled you over … let alone being a 16- or 17-year-old student on your way to school, and ICE is pulling you over," Stuenkel said. "How do you concentrate at school?"

Elizabeth and her mom are back home in Minnesota

This week, one month after federal agents took Elizabeth to Texas instead of school, she and her mother returned to Minnesota, Painter and Gutierrez told CNN.

"We're still not clear on the exact reason" of their release, Painter said Thursday afternoon. CNN has asked DHS about what prompted Elizabeth's and Rosa's release Wednesday.

Gutierrez spoke with the family after they returned and said they're looking forward to "quality time together with privacy and peace."

But the family's legal journey is not over, as they continue appealing their asylum case. Gutierrez established aGoFundMe accountto help offset the family's expenses.

Elizabeth's school social worker, who has seen the impact of agents' actions on students, called for the detainment of children to stop.

"Children belong in schools, not in detention," Xiong said. "No child should ever disappear on her way to school."

CNN's Maria Aguilar and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

NewlyreleasedDepartment of Justice documents show that investigators reviewing surveillance footage from the night of Jeffrey Epstein's death observed an orange-colored shape moving up a staircase toward the isolated, locked tier wherehis cellwas located at approximately 10:39 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2019.

That entry in anobservation logof the video from the Metropolitan Correctional Center appears to suggest something previously unreported by authorities: "A flash of orange looks to be going up the L Tier stairs — could possibly be an inmate escorted up to that Tier."

It also appears, according to anFBI memorandum, that reviews by investigators led to disparate conclusions by the FBI and those examining the same video from the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General.

The FBI log describes the fuzzy image as "possibly an inmate."

The inspector general logs it as an officer carrying orange "linen or bedding," noting it in their final report as "an unidentified [corrections officer]."

The finalreportby the Inspector General stated: "At approximately 10:39 p.m., an unidentified CO appeared to walk up the L Tier stairway, and then reappeared within view of the camera at 10:41 p.m."

Official reports state that Epstein died by suicide some time before 6:30 a.m., when his body was discovered by a corrections officer delivering his breakfast. No official time of death was ever determined. In recent months, there have been questions about the work of investigators probing the circumstances of his death.

In an in-depth analysis of surveillance video from the jail,  CBS Newspreviously reportedon the figure on the stairs and consulted independent video analysts who said the movement was more consistent with an inmate — or someone wearing an orange prison uniform — than a corrections officer.

The new records raise more questions about activity near Epstein's tier late that evening. Official reviews of Epstein's death make no mention of the figure in orange, and later pronouncements from authorities including the attorney general at the time,Bill Barr, were  that no one entered Epstein's housing tier the night of his death. Last summer in an interview on "Fox & Friends," then-deputy FBI director Dan Bongino said, "There's video clear as day, he's the only person in there and the only person coming out. You can see it."

Prison employees interviewed by CBS News said escorting an inmate at that hour would have been highly unusual. The identification of the individual could have been crucial to reconstructing the events, given that the sighting occurred within the estimated window of Epstein's possible time of death.

The staircase leading to his cell tier was captured by the only camera known to have been recording that night, positioned in a way that partially obscured the approach to Epstein's tier. Government investigators relied heavily on that footage in reconstructing the timeline of events. But because of the camera angle, it was not possible to rule out whether someone could have climbed the stairs and entered the tier without being clearly visible. CBS News'analysis of that videofound additional contradictions betweenwhat the video showedand official statements.

Inside the SHU

Thousands of pages released last week as part of a broader Justice Department disclosure of Epstein-related files, totaling more than 3 million documents, provide additional detail about the hours between the evening of Aug. 9, when Epstein was last seen alive on camera, and the discovery of his body the following morning.

Records and interviews describe a largely quiet night inside the Special Housing Unit, or SHU, where Epstein was being held. Several inmates told investigators they were using drugs inside their cells, including marijuana and K2, a synthetic substance that multiple witnesses said was common on the tier.

Among those interviewed were the two corrections officers assigned to the unit that night, Tova Noel and Ghitto Bonhomme, a materials handler who had not previously been publicly identified. Documents show Bonhomme was interviewed twice in September 2019 in sessions conducted in lieu of a grand jury subpoena.

According toNoel's account, Bonhomme had been working multiple consecutive shifts and slept while on duty for a period between approximately 10 p.m. and midnight.

Investigators also questioned Noel about an unexplained change in the recorded number of inmates in the SHU, which appeared to drop from 73 to 72 sometime between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Noel said she was "probably" mistaken about the discrepancy and told investigators she had no memory of a count changing.

Neither officer was specifically asked about the orange-colored figure noted in the video observation log. Bonhomme told investigators he did not remember the period between 10 p.m. and midnight and said he had no recollection of anyone walking up the stairs toward Epstein's tier at around 10:30 p.m. He added that a jail employee entering a tier alone would have violated policy.

A separate internal presentation included in the document release described a corrections officer, believed by investigators to be Noel, carrying linen or inmate clothing up to the tier. The 2023 inspector general report did not identify Noel as the figure seen in the footage. In her interview, Noel told investigators distributing linen was not part of her duties. "I never gave out linen. Ever," she said. "Because that's done on the shift prior."

An early morning discovery

Bonhomme ended his shift at midnight and was replaced by another corrections officer named Michael Thomas, who would discover Epstein's body hours later. Noel continued on for a second consecutive 8-hour shift.

Thomas and Noel failed to complete inmate counts at 3 a.m., and 5 a.m. as well as mandatory 30-minute wellness checks of Epstein. Investigators speculated the officers may have fallen asleep.

Thomas and Noel were later charged with falsifying records certifying the inmate counts had been completed. Federal prosecutors eventually dropped the charges in exchange for cooperation agreements that included interviews.A transcriptof Thomas' interview, conducted two years after Epstein's death and released in the recent document disclosure, shows significant gaps in his recollection of the morning Epstein was found.

Thomas told investigators he discovered Epstein in his cell shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Aug.10 and that he "ripped" Epstein down from the hanging position.

Investigators asked what happened to the noose.

"I don't recall taking the noose off. I really don't," he replied. "I don't recall taking the thing from around his neck."

Noel, who remained standing at the cell entrance, told investigators she saw Thomas lower Epstein to the floor but did not see a noose around his neck.

The noose Epstein allegedly used has never been definitively identified. According to the inspector general's report, a noose collected at the scene was later determined not to be the ligature used in Epstein's death.

Thomas also described Epstein as shirtless when he found him. Evidence records indicate a shirt believed to have been cut from Epstein's body was later returned from the hospital in a bag of personal belongings.

The new documents also show that New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reviewed the jail surveillance footage six days after Epstein's death as part of its investigation and concluded the video was too blurry to identify any individuals. Hours later, the office publicly ruled Epstein's death a suicide. The medical examiner did not provide an estimate of how long Epstein may have been dead before his body was discovered. CBS News hadpreviously reportedon the office's unorthodox handling of the crime scene.

Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist retained by Epstein's brother, previously told CBS News Epstein had likely been dead for several hours before he was found but because the body had been moved, determining the time of death was impossible.

Bonhomme declined to comment when contacted by CBS News. Noel's attorney told CBS News, "Ms. Noel will not be making any statements [or] attempts to clarify any aspect of this situation." Previous attempts to reach Michael Thomas on the phone, through his attorney and at his home, have been unsuccessful.

FBI says deadline in Nancy Guthrie ransom note is set for 5 p.m.

Investigators return to Nancy Guthrie's home as search intensifies

Savannah Guthrie's family says "we need you to come home" in message to missing mother

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THE RUNDOWN

• Taylor Swift released her "Opalite" music video on Friday—but not on all platforms.

• Taylor Nation, Swift's marketing team, announced the video will first be released on just Spotify Premium and Apple Music, which both require subscriptions.

• "Opalite" will be added to YouTube on Sunday.

Taylor Swift just released the next single off herThe Life of a Showgirlalbum this morning—but in a less traditional way. The music video for "Opalite," which is believed to bea love song about Travis Kelce, came out on Friday, February 6 at 8 A.M. ET onApple MusicandSpotify Premium. It will not be on YouTube for days.

Taylor Nation, Swift's marketing team, shared details onher siteyesterday, along with an official countdown. They added that "Opalite" will be released on YouTube on Sunday, February 8 at 8 A.M. ET. (That's Super Bowl Sunday.)

Here's what to know about the release:

How can I watch the "Opalite" music video on Friday?

There are only two platforms on which the music video can be viewed until Sunday morning, and both require a subscription:Apple MusicandSpotify Premium. Spotify Premium currently has afree two-month trial dealand costs $12.99 per month after. Apple Music offers afree three-month trial deal; it has various plans, but an individual plan is $10.99 per month after the trial period.

Swift's site includeslinksto view the music video on Spotify Premium and Apple Music.

What is the music video about?

The music video is a '90s-themed rom-com, where Swift plays a lonely woman attached to her pet rock, and Domhnall Gleeson plays a lonely man who has that same relationship with his pet cactus. A magic Opalite spray brings them together—and leads to them falling in love and enjoying several cute dates, from a dance competition to a mall outing. Swift wrote the script and directed the project.

Can I watch the video on YouTube?

Yes, but not until Sunday at 8 A.M. ET. Swift hasn't revealed the link yet to the YouTube music video of "Opalite," but this post will be updated once she does.

Has Swift said anything about the "Opalite" video?

Initially she didn't. She just quietly changed her profile photo to promo art for the single yesterday:

But once the video came out, she shared its backstory on X:

My favorite part about writing is that first spark of an idea. It can happen at any time, for any reason. The idea for the "Opalite" music video crash landed into my imagination when I was doing promo forThe Life of a Showgirl. I was a guest on one of my favorite shows, @TheGNShow [The Graham Norton Show]. For those of you who aren't familiar, it's a U.K. late night show where Graham Norton (the insanely charismatic and lovable host) invites a random group of actors, entertainers, musicians, etc., to be on his show and we all sit there and chat like it's a dinner party. They even serve wine. Anyway. I remember thinking I got ridiculously lucky with the group I was paired with. Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lewis Capaldi. All people whose work I've admired from afar. When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light-hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos. He's Irish! He was joking! Except that in that moment during the interview, I was instantly struck with an *idea*. And so a week later, he received an email script I'd written for the "Opalite" video, where he was playing the starring role. I had this thought that it would be wild if all of our fellow guests on the Graham Norton show that night, including Graham himself, could be a part of it too. Like a school group project but for adults and it isn't mandatory. To my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to time travel back to the '90s with us and help with this video. You might even recognize some friendly faces from The Eras Tour. I got to work with one of my favorite people in the world, Rodrigo Prieto, again! I had more fun than I ever imagined—Made new friends, metaphors, and fashion choices. It was an absolute thrill to create this story and these characters. Shot on film. The "Opalite" video is out now on Spotify and Apple Music.

My favorite part about writing is that first spark of an idea. It can happen at any time, for any reason. The idea for the Opalite music video crash landed into my imagination when I was doing promo for The Life of a Showgirl. I was a guest on one of my favorite shows,…pic.twitter.com/UMt519KFSS

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13)February 6, 2026

Back in November, Swift sparked speculation that she was secretlyshooting a music videoin the U.K., but the singer never addressed the rumors. She has generally kept her music projects under wraps until they are ready for release.

In herEnd of an Erasdocuseries, Swiftspoke about why she does that,admitting, "It is so much extra work to keep things a surprise [for fans]. Let me tell ya, I need a nap just thinking about it. But it's so worth it when we can actually pull it off."

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As much asNicole Kidmanloves Nashville and was planning to stay there as per earlier reports, the actress is now planning to move to Australia with her daughters after herdivorcefromKeith Urban. While the actress feels the move is a "better choice" for them, for her former husband, "this is the worst-case scenario."

Nicole Kidman is planning a move to Australia with daughters, per source

Nicole Kidman had been based inNashvillefor many years. It was earlier reported that the actress is planning to continue living there even after her divorce from Keith Urban.

However, it seems the actress had a change of mind. Kidman is now apparently keen to move back to her native Australia, with her teen daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. And while the girls are onboard with the plan, it might not be easy for the singer to stay away from his daughters.

Moreover, according to an insider, since "Nicole pretty much has full custody of the girls," Urban can't intervene and "stop her from packing up and moving wherever she wants with them."

Revealing about her plan, a source toldRadar Onlinethat "six months ago" the star thought to "put down roots in Portugal." However, according to the source "after her last trip home over the holidays, she's now saying Australia feels like a better choice for the girls and her. She's feeling quite unmoored these days and feels a big pull back home." An insider claimed that the good part is that even her daughters are "on board" as they both "love it in Australia as well." But above everything else, the girls want Kidman "to be happy."

However, it seems Urban might have trouble adjusting to the new situation of being so far away from his daughters. Moreover, "it also won't be easy for him to accept Nicole moving across to the other side of the world, either. Either way, this is the worst-case scenario for him," the insider added.

The postNicole Kidman's New Move Is 'Worst Case Scenario' for Keith Urban — Sourceappeared first onReality Tea.

Hoda Kotb returned to the Today show on Friday, Feb. 6

NEED TO KNOW

• Savannah Guthrie has not appeared on Today the week of Feb. 2, as the investigation into her mother Nancy's disappearance enters its sixth day

• Kotb opened up about the outpouring of love and support for Savannah

Hoda Kotbreturned to herTodayshow family on Friday, Feb. 6, as the investigation intoSavannah Guthrie's missing 84-year-old mother,Nancy, enters its sixth day

"It feels like our family's here," saidSheinelle Jones, who has been covering for Savannah while she remains in Arizona with her family.

Kotb, who sat at the anchor desk alongside Jones,Carson DalyandCraig Melvin, noted that she was "happy" to be back with theTodayshow co-hosts after originallyexiting the showin January 2025.

"First of all, I just want to say this whole thing's breaking my heart and I'm happy to be sitting here with you," Kotb said of Savannah's situation. "I've been, like, wandering around going, 'Where do you go?' "

"Because we're your family! We're here," Jones said.

"Yeah, and I picture Savannah sitting there," Kotb noted, nodding to a seat at the table.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

After sharing a segment about the outpouring of support for Savannah and the Guthrie family, Kotb reflected on Savannah's impact during their own family's struggles.

"I think there's this helpless feeling. I mean, we're all so close to her and we all want to help her," Kotb said, referencing her own daughter Hope's medical struggles with type 1 diabetes. "I'm looking at us and I'm thinking, who was first in the hospital room when Hope was sick? Savannah."

Debra L Rothenberg/WireImage

She also referred to the 2017 deaths of Daly's parents, saying, "Who hopped on a plane when your parents? Savannah."

"Who was sitting by Uche?" Kotb said to Jones, referring to the death of Jones' husbandUche Ojeh, who died of glioblastoma in 2025. To Melvin, Kotb asked, "How about when your brother passed? I mean, she was there."

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Kotb ended the segment with another message of hope, saying, "I was thinking this morning, you know when they say, 'Love is patient. Love is kind.' We'll be patient and put prayers up."

"It's just that feeling of helplessness," Melvin added. "And we're not helpless because it's prayer and hope."

Nancy was first reported missing on Sunday, Feb. 1, after she failed to show up for church. Police believe the mother of three has been abducted and still have no suspects in the case. They are investigating analleged ransom notesent to the media. FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said whoever wrote the ransom note set a deadline of 5 p.m. the evening of Feb. 5.

"If a transfer wasn't made, the second demand was for next Monday," he said at the press conference attended by PEOPLE on Thursday, Feb. 5. "I'm not going to go beyond that."

After the deadline on Feb. 5, Savannah's brotherCamron shared a video on Savannah's social media account. "This is Camron Guthrie. I'm speaking for the Guthrie family. Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you," Camron said. "We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward."

He continued, "But first we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact."

The previous day, Savannah, Camron and their sister Annie sent atearful video plea to their mom's potential abductor.

"We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us," Savannah said.

Kotb stepped down from her role at theTodayshow in January 2025 in order to spend more time with her two daughters, Haley, 9, and Hope, 6. She co-anchored the main hours ofTodayopposite Savannah from 2017 until her exit.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900. People are encouraged to call 88-CRIME or 520-882-7463. All calls remain anonymous. They can also use the mobile app P3TIPS or visit 88crime.org.

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A Russian general serving as deputy head of Russian military intelligence was shot and seriously wounded in Moscow on Friday, officials said – the latest in a series of attacks on top military figures.

An unknown attacker fired several shots at Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alekseyev in a residential building on Volokolamskoye Highway in Moscow and fled the scene, a Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson said in a statement.

The Russian Investigative Committee said its officers are at the scene and investigators are searching for the shooter. The committee has opened a criminal case into what it called the attempted murder of a high-ranking defense ministry official.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Ukrainian government of being behind the attempted murder of Alekseyev, without citing evidence.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the shooting.

Alekseyev has been transferred to a city hospital, the Investigative Committee statement said. He is in intensive care and in a serious condition following the shooting, according to Russian state media.

Alekseyev, 64, is the first deputy head of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate, the GRU. The Russian general was one of several GRU officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for wide-ranging malicious cyber activity directed at undermining US democratic processes.

He was also sanctioned by the European Union in January 2019 following anerve agent attackin Salisbury, England, which the British government said was carried out by GRU agents to poison a former Russian spy. The EU sanctions describe Alekseyev as "responsible for the possession, transport and use in Salisbury… of the toxic nerve agent 'Novichok' by officers from the GRU," along with sanctioned Russian military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.

Alexseyev has had significant involvement in the war in Ukraine, serving as one of Russia's negotiators in thesecret talkswith a member of the Ukrainian parliament to end Russia's 2022 siege of the strategic city of Mariupol, Ukraine.

A Ukrainian intelligence report on Alexseyev claims he has been responsible for "the organization of the preparation of initial data for launching missile and air strikes on Ukrainian territory," including on civilian targets, as well as being responsible for theillegal referendain the occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukraine has also accused him of war crimes in Syria.

In 2023, Alekseyev was sent by the Russian military to negotiate withYevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private mercenary group, during the Wagner group's mutiny. At the time, he called Prigozhin's actions a coup as well as "a stab in the back of the country and the president."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a Friday press briefing that the intelligence services were investigating the attack and would report any findings to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added: "We wish the general survival and recovery."

"It is clear that such military leaders and highly qualified specialists are at risk during a war," Peskov said when asked about the security of military officials' residences. "That's a matter for the intelligence services."

A neighbor of Alekseyev told Reuters that she heard several shots around 6:30 a.m. local time Friday. The woman, who only gave her first name as Alexandra, said she "woke up because of shots" and rushed outside the residential building alongside other neighbors. Another resident had already called police, who arrived by 7 a.m., she said.

Several prominent Russians have been killed by explosive devices or shot dead in Moscow inattacksblamed on the Ukrainian security services since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russian strikes continue

Friday's shooting in Moscow comes one day after Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators met for trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates, where the Russian delegation was led by their military intelligence chief Kostyukov.

The Kremlin on Friday described the trilateral talks as "both constructive and challenging."

Ukraine's negotiation team also said the talks were "truly constructive" in a comment to news agency RBC-Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said they'd "agreed that the next meeting will be held in the near future."

But beyond a prisoner swap that took place on Thursday, which saw 314 POWs exchanged, no major breakthroughs were announced by either side.

Despite the diplomatic engagement, Russia's attacks on Ukraine have continued this week.

At least three Ukrainian people were killed and 15 people injured in Russian attacks within the last day, Ukrainian authorities said on Friday. Russia launched two ballistic missiles, five cruise missiles and hundreds of drones overnight into Friday, hitting the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kharkiv.

In Zaporizhzhia, a Russian attack on Friday heavily damaged an animal shelter, according to the city council, which released video showing several animals injured or killed.

Throughout the winter – the coldest one Ukraine has experienced in 20 years – Russia's military has also intensified itsassault on the country's energy sector.

In the capital Kyiv, where temperatures are below freezing on Friday, 1,100 high-rise residential buildings remain without power, according to local authorities. In the two districts of Kyiv that have been hit hard by attacks on energy infrastructure, about half the schools are operating without heat.

"The Kremlin is doubling down on war crimes, deliberately striking homes and civilian infrastructure," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday, as she announced the EU is tabling its 20th package of sanctions against Russia.

"This is not the conduct of a state seeking peace. It is the behaviour of a nation waging a war of attrition against a civilian innocent population," von der Leyen said.

This is story has been updated with developments.

CNN's Victoria Butenko and Svitlana Vlasova contributed to this report.

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