Savannah Guthrie's mother's disappearance is being investigated as a possible kidnapping: 'She didn't just walk out of there'

The search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of well-known Today host Savannah Guthrie, has entered its third day. The sheriff in charge of the investigation, Chris Nanos, assured that the disappearance is being treated as a kidnapping.

The 84-year-old woman was last seen the afternoon of Jan. 31 at her own residence in Tucson, Arizona. She was last seen by her oldest daughter, Annie. She had three children with her late husband, Charles Guthrie: Annie, Savannah and Camron.

According to statements by the sheriff to Us Weekly, the eldest Guthrie saw no "red flag" during that last encounter. "This is an 84-year-old lady who is safe in her own home asleep, and she is taken. That should never happen," he maintained.

A possible abduction with no suspects

"She did not leave on her own, we know that," Nanos himself said Monday according to AFP, describing the house as a "crime scene". Later in the day, the sheriff told CBS News, "I believe she was abducted, yes. She didn't walk from there. She didn't go willingly."

He also stated that there were still no suspects in the case and that there was nothing to indicate that Savannah Guthrie's work as a prominent television reporter had anything to do with the crime.

Nancy Guthrie has mobility issues and does not have the medication she needs, said the sheriff, who asked anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward.

“She is fully in possession of her mental faculties … The family wants everyone to know this is not someone who simply walked away,” Nanos said at a news conference.

He did not go into detail about the evidence that had been found in the house, merely saying that investigators had determined that "we do in fact have a crime."

Security cameras at the house were also being examined, he said.

He had said Sunday that homicide investigators were part of the investigation.