WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that federal authorities do not intend to take over the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "TODAY" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, even as the FBI continues to provide substantial support to state and local investigators working the monthslong case in Arizona.

Speaking on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Blanche outlined the scope of federal involvement in the high-profile investigation, which has drawn national attention since Guthrie was first reported missing earlier this year. "We are working as hard as we can with the state and local law enforcement in every area, and that means not only providing assistance with manpower, but any sort of forensic assistance," Blanche said.

Blanche made clear that despite the intensity of federal support, the Justice Department has no plans to assume primary control of the case from local authorities. "And so we're going to continue to do that. Whether we come in with sharp elbows and take it over, that's not necessarily the right thing to do for her or for anybody, but making sure that it's done right and making sure that this investigation is being conducted the way that it should be is something that we're doing," he said.

Guthrie, 78, was reported missing on Feb. 1 from her home in Tucson, Arizona, according to earlier reporting on the case. Her disappearance quickly became a subject of intense national media coverage, in part because of her family's connection to one of American television's most recognizable morning news programs, and prompted a coordinated response involving both local and federal law........

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