'TODAY' Anchor Savannah Guthrie's Mom May Have Been Abducted, Cops Say

Another bombshell in the case of Savannah Guthrie's missing mother ... authorities now believe she may have been taken by force from her Arizona home.

A rep for the Pima County Sheriff's Office says Nancy Guthrie may have been abducted from the home in the middle of the night. Investigators believe a "crime has been committed" and they're looking into whether any registered sex offenders in the area played a role.

Police declined to say whether blood was found inside the home, if the home was in disarray from a struggle or if there was forced entry.  But, the sheriff's department said they're talking with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has a long history working kidnapping and missing persons cases.

The sheriff's spokesperson tells us ... Customs and Border Protection are also involved in the case because the agency's specially trained K-9 dogs were used to help search for Guthrie.

As we reported ... 84-year-old Nancy was reported missing Sunday afternoon, and was last seen Saturday night at her Tucson house. Authorities previously announced homicide detectives were investigating the case.

In a statement Sunday, Savannah said ... "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."