Savannah Guthrie asks for prayers after her mother’s disappearance. Here are key questions surrounding the investigation

By Elise Hammond, CNN

(CNN) — Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Arizona home, but they’ve been tight-lipped about what led them to that conclusion about the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson, and police say time is of the essence to find her, especially since she is without crucial daily medication.

At her house Sunday, law enforcement found a “very concerning” scene that spurred a criminal investigation, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, adding there is no indication of any threat to the public.

Savannah Guthrie, who traveled to Tucson after learning her mother was missing, is now asking for prayers for her family.

When was she last seen?

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday when her family took her home from dinner around 9:30 p.m., Nanos told CNN. They got her in the house, and she went to bed, he said.

When she did not show up to church Sunday morning, a church member called her relatives, who went to her home around 11 a.m. to look for her, the sheriff said at a news conference Monday.

A family member called 911 around noon Sunday to report her missing, Nanos said, and homicide detectives were sent to the home.

“Something that they told me about that scene made me believe that there’s more than just a missing person,” Nanos said about the decision to set in motion a criminal investigation. “We still hope she’s alive, and we continue with those missions of search and rescue.”

Officials do not know what time she was taken, Nanos said.

Nanos initially told NBC News, “When you’re taken from your bed and you don’t want to go somewhere, that’s an abduction.” But Nanos “meant that figuratively and did not mean she was literally taken from her bed,” the sheriff’s department later clarified to NBC.

What was found at the house?

Law enforcement is treating Guthrie’s house as a crime scene and has described the circumstances around her disappearance as suspicious, Nanos has said.

The case is “not dementia-related,” Nanos said at a Monday morning news conference, and Guthrie is “of great sound mind” and “sharp as a tack.” But she also has limited mobility and “couldn’t walk 50 yards,” the sheriff said, leading investigators to believe she was taken from the house.

“This isn’t somebody who wandered off,” Nanos said.

“We also have some things at that scene that indicate to us that she was removed from that scene against her will. I can’t go into all those details” to protect the integrity of the case, Nanos said.

He also declined to say whether it appears Guthrie was hurt during the incident.

Investigators are analyzing DNA evidence found at the scene, the sheriff told CNN affiliate KVOA.

Asked by CNN whether Guthrie could have been part of a kidnapping-for-ransom plot, given her daughter’s high profile, Nanos said that is not the direction investigators are taking, but “we’ll never rule it out.”

Investigators also do not believe it was a home invasion or robbery gone wrong, Nanos told MS NOW, adding they’re not dismissing that possibility, either.

Right now, “time is very critical” in finding her, the sheriff said at the news conference. Missing her daily medication “could be fatal” for Guthrie, he said.

Who’s involved in the investigation?

Local authorities are leading the investigation, and FBI agents from across Arizona are “fully engaged” and offering technical resources, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN. This includes assisting with analysis of data from cell phone towers near the Guthrie home.

A priority for investigators right now is downloading security footage from the house, he said. Private companies such as Google and Apple have also been offering assistance, the sheriff said.

Officials are urging the community to help, asking neighbors to look through video footage from their homes and call in any suspicious activity. Any bit of information could help investigators piece what happened together, he said.

“I need this community to step up and start giving some calls, let us know if you’ve seen something,” Nanos said.

The sheriff’s department set up a tip line for people to submit videos or images that may be useful to the investigation, and a reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

Authorities are also looking through digital evidence, including by using a license plate reader and scrubbing surveillance video. It is unclear whether a vehicle was involved, Nanos said.

Police have Guthrie’s cell phone and are looking through that as well, Nanos said.

Border Patrol brought its dog team to help in the search, he told CNN.

“We take a very strong regional approach to law enforcement in this community,” Nanos said. “The Tucson Police Department, sheriff’s department, 10 other local agencies in this valley – I’ve heard from them all.”

The sheriff was optimistic, saying, in the end, “I really believe that we’ll find her.”

What has Savannah Guthrie said?

Savannah Guthrie is in Arizona, Nanos said. The “Today” show opened Monday with a statement from her: “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.”

The statement also urged anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s office.

The anchor’s security team has also been in touch with the sheriff’s department, Nanos said, adding law enforcement is not aware of any threats against the TV anchor.

“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in an Instagram post late Monday, describing her mother as a “a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant.”

“Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. We need you,” she wrote, quoting a Bible passage from Isaiah before ending with a solemn message: “Bring her home.”

Guthrie’s cohosts on “Today” continued their emotional pleas for help in finding Nancy Guthrie on Tuesday’s program.

“I saw that post from Savannah last night. I hit my knees and prayed,” Carson Daly said. “I don’t think I’ve ever prayed for anything harder in my life.”

Savannah Guthrie often has spoken highly of her mother and their close relationship. During a celebration of her mom’s 80th birthday on “Today,” the anchor described her as someone who “lived a life of integrity and loyalty” and raised three kids after their father died before Guthrie’s senior year of high school, the anchor said.

“She has met unthinkable challenges in her life with grit, without self-pity, with determination, and always, always with unshakeable faith,” Guthrie said in that tribute.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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