Annie Guthrie's House Was Searched as Law Enforcement Search for Her Mother

The FBI has announced that they are looking into "persons of interest" related to the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, but we don't yet know whether they have any suspects. They recently detained someone in connection with the case, but he was eventually released and insisted on his innocence.

Even as law enforcement searches for the perpetrators, news also broke that they were searching Annie Guthrie's home. Annie lives just four miles from her mother's home in Tucson, Ariz. Here's what we know about why law enforcement searched Annie's home.

Law enforcement did not offer an explanation for their decision to search Annie's home, but they appear to have done so on Feb. 7, per KRCR, one week after Nancy was taken on Jan. 31. We also don't know whether law enforcement had a warrant to search Annie's home, or whether they had Annie's permission to conduct the search. This doesn't necessarily mean that Annie is a person of interest or suspect in the case, but we don't know that for sure either way.

The search apparently lasted roughly two-and-a-half hours, and officials could be seen leaving the house with a white bag and a brown suitcase.

The search was clearly to find evidence that might be connected to Nancy's disappearance, although we still don't know for sure why Nancy was targeted or whether the evidence collected at Annie's house had anything to do with the case.

Although it's unclear whether law enforcement has any firm leads in the case, we do know that the family received an alleged ransom note that set a deadline of Feb. 5 for payment. FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke explained that if that deadline elapsed, there was a second deadline of Feb. 9. Both those deadlines have now passed, but Savannah Guthrie is publicly insisting that she believes her mother is still alive.

On Feb. 10, the FBI released video and stills from surveillance footage that show a masked man approaching Nancy's door in the minutes leading up to her kidnapping. The footage was released in the hopes that someone could identify the masked man and help authorities chase a lead. It's unclear whether that lead has materialized, but to date, authorities have struggled to find a solid suspect.

Nancy's kidnapping has made national headlines because of her daughter's role as one of the hosts of the Today show, and because the circumstances surrounding the crime are so unusual. Because the case is still ongoing, there's plenty we don't fully understand that we will only be able to make sense of in retrospect.

We don't know, for instance, exactly why Annie's house was searched, or whether authorities found anything useful that might lead them back to the kidnappers. For now, we just have to see whether any developments in the case ultimately lead to the kidnapper's apprehension. The world is watching with bated breath.