US3 min(s) read
Published 08:46 03 Jul 2026 GMT
A California man has pleaded guilty to sending fake ransom messages to the family of Today show host Savannah Guthrie while authorities continue searching for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Federal authorities announced Thursday that Derrick Callella, 42, admitted sending text messages to members of the Guthrie family after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home outside Tucson, Arizona. He now faces a possible sentence of up to two years in prison or a fine of $250,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen on January 31 at her residence outside Tucson. According to authorities, investigators found her cellphone, medication, and other everyday essentials inside the home, raising concerns because those were items she would normally have with her. Officers also discovered drops of blood near the porch as they searched the property.
After Tucson CBS affiliate KOLD reported receiving a ransom demand containing a bitcoin wallet address, the Guthrie family released a public video on February 4 asking whoever was responsible for Nancy Guthrie's disappearance to contact them.
According to a February complaint filed in federal court in Arizona, Callella had been following television coverage of the case before obtaining the phone numbers of Nancy's daughter, Annie Guthrie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni.
Court documents state that he sent each of them the text (via KGUN 9): “Did you get the bitcoin [we're] waiting on our end for the transaction?”
Investigators later traced the phone number used to send the messages to an email address registered in Callella's name.
Federal authorities said Callella's messages were not connected to the ransom demand received by KOLD. Instead, investigators believe he was attempting to obtain information about the investigation by contacting members of the Guthrie family directly.
The FBI said Wednesday that it continues to investigate extortion notes that may be legitimate in connection with Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. While Callella has admitted to sending the fake messages, authorities have made clear that other extortion demands linked to the case remain under investigation.
The guilty plea does not resolve the broader missing persons case, which remains open. Investigators are continuing their efforts to determine what happened to Nancy Guthrie while also examining any extortion communications that could be connected to her disappearance.
Callella is due to be sentenced on September 10 as federal authorities continue investigating the case.
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