search, look for, locate
捜 centers on actively seeking something out: searching, looking for, or trying to locate a person or object.
捜 is the modern simplified form of 搜. The older form combines 扌 (hand) with 叟, which likely contributed the sound and the idea of searching or seeking with the hand. The modern right side is a simplification of 叟.
The hand radical 扌 on the left suggests using your hand to search. The right side looks like a hand (又) reaching into a messy pile (the upper strokes), as if rummaging around to locate something.
For ソウ, imagine searching through a pile of old clothes and finding a single sock: sock -> ソウ, and your hand locates it.
search (esp. in criminal investigations); investigation; inquiry; enquiry
search (esp. for someone or something missing); manhunt
special investigation
forensic researcher; crime scene investigator
sting operation; undercover investigation
undercover investigator
Federal Bureau of Investigation (USA); FBI
search conducted with the consent of the party concerned
open criminal investigation
joint investigation
criminal investigation
initial investigation (by police)
searching far and wide
police investigation carried out in the immediate vicinity of a crime site
house search (e.g. by the police)
house search (e.g. by the police)
search warrant
compulsory investigation; compulsory search
chief investigator; head of the investigation; lead investigator
search warrant