Police investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, sealed off a road near her Arizona home late on Friday night as sheriff's and FBI vehicles, including forensics units, passed through a roadblock about two miles from the property.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department later confirmed that a federal court-ordered search warrant was carried out at a residence in connection with the case, but said no arrests were made. A Range Rover SUV was also tagged and towed from a restaurant car park just over two miles from Mrs Guthrie's home. The roads were reopened on Saturday morning.
Mrs Guthrie was reported missing on 1 February. Authorities have said her blood was found on the front porch of her home in the foothills outside Tucson. Purported ransom notes have been sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for payment have passed. Investigators have expressed concern for her health, as she requires daily medication and has a pacemaker, as well as a history of high blood pressure and heart issues.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos acknowledged public frustration with the pace of the investigation. "It's exhausting, these ups and downs. But we will keep moving forward," he told the New York Times. "Maybe it's an hour from now. Maybe it's weeks or months or years from now. But we won't quit. We're going to find Nancy. We're going to find this guy."
Critics have pointed to an initial misstep, when Mrs Guthrie's home was cleared as a crime scene a day after she disappeared, leaving it unguarded while reporters and others wandered the property before it was resealed for an FBI search. Sheriff Nanos conceded: "Absolutely. I probably could have held off on that."
The FBI has collected more than 13,000 tips since Mrs Guthrie was reported missing, while the sheriff's department has taken at least 18,000 calls. Earlier this week, authorities released footage showing an armed and masked person at her doorstep on the night she was abducted.
