Nancy Guthrieremains missing in Tucson, Arizona, more than five weeks after investigators say the 84-year-old mother ofTodayco-host Savannah Guthrie was believed to have been abducted from her home in the Catalina Foothills at about 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, and authorities saycadaver dogsused earlier in the inquiry are not currently being deployed.​

For context, no suspect has been publicly identified, Guthrie has not been found and the Pima County Sheriff's Department has said only that the dogs remain available if needed later. Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News Digital, 'They are available if needed in the future,' which is careful language and, in a case like this, revealing mostly for what it does not say.​

'Today' show host Savannah Guthrie's missing mom case shifts tactics | Search for Nancy enters 5th week, cadaver dogs on holdSheriff Chris Nanos says 'anything is possible' as investigation into Nancy Guthrie's Feb 1 abduction continues#NancyGuthriehttps://t.co/fjPbspCZvt

That absence has drawn attention because cadaver dogs were visible earlier in the investigation and then seemed to disappear. Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired police sergeant and spokeswoman for the National Police Association who is not involved in the case, told Fox News Digital there are several possible explanations for that shift, one of them being that investigators may have credible information suggesting Nancy Guthrie is still alive.​

Nanos has hardly opened the door wider. Asked last week about the prospects of finding her alive, he said, 'Anything is possible,' while declining to discuss specific leads or evidence. It is the sort of answer that gives nothing away and inevitably invites more scrutiny.​

Smith suggested other practical reasons cadaver dogs may be on hold. Police may not yet have a reliable area to search, she said, or they may suspect Guthrie is hidden somewhere difficult for dogs to detect.

She also raised the possibility that investigators believe she may have been taken to Mexico, though she was speaking broadly about investigative options rather than from direct knowledge of the case.​

Her most telling remark was about what the public has not been told. 'I do believe that the sheriff's department has much more information that they are not releasing to the public,' Smith said, adding that one possible reason would be the existence of a solid suspect whom investigators do not want to tip off.

Monday marks Day 37 in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing from her Tucson-area home on Feb. 1. Authorities believe Nancy was taken from her home against her will.https://t.co/fVS1PQzcFg

That is still speculation, and it is important to treat it that way, but it chimes with the unusually disciplined silence that has surrounded parts of this case.​ The practical reality is less dramatic and more procedural. Many sheriff's departments do not keep cadaver dogs of their own and instead borrow them from neighbouring agencies or federal partners.

Source: International Business Times UK