After a flurry of tweets and speculation that Katherine Jackson ? Michael Jackson's mother ? had gone missing, she is safe and sound. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
By NBC News and wire services
Despite reports that Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson's mother, is missing, authorities on Sunday said they now believe the matriarch is safe in Arizona with family members.
Katherine Jackson, 82, was officially reported missing Saturday night by a concerned family member?amid a dispute over the estate of her superstar son. She is the guardian of his three minor children, Paris, Prince Michael and Blanket Jackson.?
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was still trying to speak with Katherine Jackson but said she reportedly is with other relatives. Deputies told NBC News they would like Jackson to contact the Malibu Lost Hills Sheriff's Office.
Early Sunday morning, NBC News received a letter from an attorney who says she represents Katherine Jackson. The letter indicated that?Katherine Jackson was believed to be missing but did not offer any clues as to her whereabouts.
Paris Jackson, the 14-year-old daughter of the late Michael Jackson, tweeted early Sunday that her grandmother was missing.
"I haven't spoken with her in a week I want her home now," she posted from her Twitter account. She also tweeted a number for people to contact in case they saw the 82-year-old matriarch of the famous singing clan.
It was unclear who was caring for the children during Katherine Jackson's absence.
Katherine Jackson also hadn't been in contact with her attorneys, who worked Sunday to learn more information about her whereabouts and why she had suddenly become incommunicado, including with her grandchildren.
"First of all, let's hope that this is all just a big misunderstanding and a totally benign situation," her attorney Perry Sanders Jr. said Sunday. "Assuming that she did actually leave on doctor's orders, no matter which doctor, it has certainly created an absolutely irregular situation whereby she has been out of contact with her grandchildren."?
The family drama unfolded days after it was revealed that some of Katherine Jackson's children had written a letter to the executors of Michael Jackson's estate, alleging his will, which left his fortune to his children, his mother and charity, was a fake.
The undated letter, signed by Janet, Randy, Tito, Rebbie and Jermaine Jackson, claimed Katherine Jackson was being manipulated by the executors, John Branca and John McClain, her health had been affected, and she suffered a mini-stroke.
The legitimacy of the letter was confirmed by Randy Jackson on Twitter, and Janet Jackson retweeted his post.
The estate has denied the accusations.
Paris Jackson lashed out at her uncle Randy Jackson on Twitter, saying her grandmother was fine.
"I will defend my beloved family member with all I have, even if it means from other family members," the tweet said.
She later apologized, saying she just wanted to let people know that her grandmother did not have a stroke.
Katherine Jackson's attorney Perry Sanders Jr. said Friday that his client did not have a stroke, according to his interactions with her and with her relatives. Sanders could not immediately be reached Sunday for comment.
On Friday, Jermaine Jackson tweeted that his mother was resting on the orders of a doctor in Arizona.
"I want to reassure everyone (inc all sudden medical experts) that mother is fine but is resting up in AZ on the orders of a doctor, not us," he tweeted.
Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the June 2009 propofol overdose death of Jackson at age 50.
Attorneys handling Jackson's estate and financial matters are routinely in court, but a hearing on the guardianship hasn't been held since December. That hearing was a routine session to approve attorneys' fees and there are no future hearings currently scheduled.
Caity Cudworth, a representative for the Jackson brothers Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon, who are on a nationwide tour, did not immediately respond to an early Sunday morning request for comment, nor did Danielle Marie Owens, a representative for Janet Jackson.
Jackson's estate recently filed court records indicating it had generated gross earnings of $475 million and successfully handled hundreds of millions of dollars in debts the singer had accrued.
Sanders filed a request to audit the estate's financial records and said Friday he made the routine request three weeks ago and it was not prompted by the Jackson siblings' letter.
Sanders said he did not think the estate had done anything wrong, but Katherine Jackson's team should be provided with detailed records of the estate's finances.
"I think it's part of appropriate due diligence," he said of the audit.
Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.
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