Man Arrested for Sending Fake Ransom Messages to Savannah Guthrie’s Family in Nancy Guthrie Case

Here’s the latest twist in the heartbreaking case of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who vanished from her home near Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, February 1.

Federal authorities have made an arrest, but it’s not the breakthrough many were hoping for in finding Nancy or her actual abductors. Instead, a man from Southern California was picked up for what investigators are calling a cruel hoax—he sent fake ransom messages to the family mentioning bitcoin payments.

The suspect is Derrick Callella, arrested on February 5 in Hawthorne, California (just south of LAX), according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. He’s facing two federal charges: one for sending a ransom demand related to a kidnapped person across state lines, and another for making an anonymous phone call intended to harass or threaten someone.

From what court documents describe, Callella allegedly texted Nancy’s daughter Annie and her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni on February 4—right after the family released an emotional public video begging for Nancy’s safe return. The message read something like: “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.”

Investigators say he used a voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) app to send the texts and hide his identity. Just a few minutes later, he reportedly called a family member, but the call only lasted about 9 seconds. When questioned, Callella admitted to sending the messages, telling authorities he was basically testing to see if the family would reply—he’d seen the news coverage and looked up their contact info online.

Importantly, officials have stressed that these texts have no connection to the legitimate-sounding ransom note sent earlier to a Tucson news station (KOLD) on February 2, which included a Bitcoin wallet address. That earlier demand is still being treated as serious by the FBI, even though no one’s been arrested for the actual suspected kidnapping.

This isn’t Callella’s first brush with the law either. Back in October 2025, he was one of several former Los Angeles County employees accused of fraudulently collecting hundreds of thousands in unemployment benefits during the pandemic. In his case, it involved over $437,000 in stolen state funds between 2020 and 2023.

The Guthrie family continues to share gut-wrenching videos on social media, pleading for whoever has Nancy to reach out and provide undeniable proof she’s alive—especially since deepfakes and manipulated media make things so tricky these days. In one message, Savannah said the family is ready to talk, but they desperately need confirmation Nancy is okay and still with us.

FBI officials are sending a clear message to anyone else thinking of exploiting this tragedy: “We will investigate and hold you accountable.” They’ve already announced a $50,000 reward for tips that lead to Nancy’s recovery or the arrest of those responsible.

If you have any information, please contact the FBI tips line at 800-225-5324, your local FBI office, or submit online at tips.fbi.gov.

The real search for Nancy goes on, and everyone is hoping for her safe return soon.