(CNN) -- The mysterious disappearance of a western Michigan woman, described by friends and police as affable and a doting mother, prompted local authorities on Thursday to solicit help from state police and others as they desperately searched for answers.
Van Buren County Sheriff's Department Lt. Bill Lux told reporters there is no clear evidence, yet, that a crime was committed related to the absence of Amy Henslee. But he said that police have concerns and the public response has been so overwhelming as to warrant an extensive investigation.
"Time is of the essence to us," said Lux. "We don't know what we have at this point. Things don't make sense."
Lux said authorities still consider Henslee, 30, a "voluntary missing person," initially having no evidence she left her home -- albeit without a purse or phone, and not having a car at her disposal -- forcibly. Still, Lux said, there were enough "red flags" for him to expedite the investigation within a day after the woman was first reported missing.
And on Thursday, a "major crimes task force" was set up to examine the case. This process brings in state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, and involves daily meeting and assignments related to the investigation. Lux said Thursday that they had no hard leads, adding that the missing woman's husband, James Henslee, has been cooperative and is not a suspect.
Van Buren County Prosecuting Attorney Juris Kaps said that the large number of tips and leads prompted the formation of the task force, which he heads. As of Thursday afternoon, he said that authorities had more questions than answers.
"At this point, we don't even know we're dealing with a crime," Kaps said. "We don't know ... if we're dealing with a voluntary missing person, we don't know if we're dealing with an abduction, we don't know if we're dealing with some other type of crime."
Amy Henslee was last seen in Hartford Township at 7:30 a.m. Monday, about 10 minutes after her two children, ages 8 and 10, hopped on a bus for school. At 10 a.m., her husband telephoned -- as he does every weekday -- but didn't get a response, according to police.
After more unanswered calls, James Henslee left work for home to look for his wife. After finding the front door locked, he went in through an unopened back door and, again, couldn't locate her, according to Lux. But he did not notice that Amy Henslee's shoes and a coat she'd gotten for Christmas were missing.
James Henslee, with help from family members, searched for his wife until 4:20 p.m., when he called police. That night, a sheriff's deputy came to the house to question him and do a "basic search," Lux said.
The next morning, Lux said he waived the usual 48-hour window to investigate missing people cases, given reports that Amy Henslee rarely left her house during the day and was not one to go long without talking to her husband. He noted she did not have a cell phone, at-home computer or car.
"There's something that doesn't seem right here. We need to start working on this now," Lux said, noting his thoughts on pushing ahead. "Which is absolutely what we did."
The lieutenant noted that, as of Thursday afternoon, there were no signs of "foul play," "a scuffle at the house" or anything to indicate Henslee left in any way but voluntarily. Her husband told police that Amy does not go out for walks and is "afraid to open the door if a stranger comes to the door." There were no evident tracks around the house, which was surrounded by snow, leading police to conclude that she left through the front walkway or onto the street.
"If she did leave with someone, it had to be somebody she trusted, somebody she knew (because) she wouldn't have opened the door and left," Lux said.
Investigators had 30 different assignments on Thursday alone, he said, following up on the at least 12 alleged sightings and interviewing the woman's friends, neighbors, relatives and former co-workers.
Within days, Henslee's family had posted fliers all around what Lux described as the "small (and) very tight-knit" community of Hartford Township.
A Facebook page devoted to the cause, entitled "Help Find Amy Henslee," had around 5,000 followers by 9 p.m. Thursday. The previous night, dozens attended a prayer vigil inside a community center in the town.
"I need to know my wife is safe," James Henslee told CNN affiliate WOOD. "It's been rough the last couple of days. I just hope things get better... I haven't had any good news."
The missing woman stands 5 feet tall, weighs 114 pounds and has brown air and brown eyes. Besides the black nylon coat with brown fur trimming the hood, she is believed to have left the house in black Puma sneakers with black stripes.
Friends and neighbors of Amy Henslee, who left her job last September to spent more time home with her family, described her as likable and a devoted mother, according to reports from CNN affiliates WNDU, WOOD and WZZM,
Lux said he believes "someone out there knows" where Henslee is. "We're hoping that we will get that one little piece of information that we may need, and that's going to lead us to where she possibly is right now."
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