Search underway for Savannah Guthrie’s mother : NPR

Police in Arizona are working to locate Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her home near Tucson. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says it believes Nancy Guthrie, who was last seen Saturday night, was taken by force, calling her home a crime scene.

An all-hands search ensued, including volunteers, drones and other airborne assets. Investigators have been collecting DNA samples at the home and combing through electronic resources. And authorities are asking the public for help, seeking anything that could lead them to Guthrie.

Here are key questions about the case as authorities continue their search.

Guthrie was reported missing Sunday

A call came in to police around noon on Sunday that Nancy Guthrie, 84, was missing, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during a news conference Monday.

Search and rescue teams worked all day and into the night trying to find Guthrie, Nanos said, adding that federal agencies also contributed, including Border Patrol canine units. But there were signs that Guthrie’s disappearance was not a case of an elderly adult wandering off on their own.

“We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us,” Nanos said, adding that as investigators processed evidence in Guthrie’s home, they concluded “that we do in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime.”

Guthrie’s family dropped her off at her home around 9:30 or 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, Nanos said. The next morning, someone from Guthrie’s church called the family, saying she was absent. Soon afterward, relatives called 911, and police came to suspect foul play in the missing-person case.

“All her personal belongings, to include her wallet, cell phone and vehicle were still there, but she was nowhere to be found,” according to a public safety alert.

As of Monday, Nanos said, “Right now, we don’t see this as a search mission as much as we do a crime scene.”