I believe they were trying to find Beverly Carter because she was reported missing. I also remember that at the time Casey Compton was missing as was Baby Malik Drummond. You can go back and look there was an out cry of anger by many about so much attention getting placed on this missing person vs others. I figured that they must have had strong evidence that she was kidnapped like a call (still cant rule that out because we dont know all they do have) but I not sure about some of my orig thoughts vs what we see at this point. JMHO
Well, from the testimony at the hearings, we do know that AL at least had a recording of BC advising her husband that she was safe and not to call the police. What we don't know is if AL/CL ever actually called CC and played the recording or otherwise made a ransom demand.
When watching the news interviews with CC shortly after her disappearance, I had the gut feeling that he knew more than he was able to say to the media, so it makes me really wonder if they may have actually made the call. Guess we'll find out eventually. Just no way to know at this point and it's all conjecture on my part.
That said, whether they made a ransom call or not, I do truly think that LE was going on the assumption that she was possibly alive and being held somewhere. I think that was shading all their actions at the time. In their minds, they were working a kidnapping case...not a murder. Hindsight is always 20/20, I guess. They were trying so very hard to bring her home alive.