Derrick Callella pleads guilty to sending fake ransom notes to Guthrie family

A California man has entered a guilty plea in federal court regarding his role in targeting the family of the missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie with fraudulent ransom demands. Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, appeared in a Tucson, Arizona, federal courthouse on July 2, 2026, where he admitted to two counts of harassment using a telecommunications device. The development marks the first time a suspect has faced criminal charges for sending fake ransom messages to the Guthrie family, who have remained under intense public scrutiny since the disappearance of the mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Callella was arrested on Feb. 5, 2026, in Hawthorne, a city located south of Los Angeles International Airport. Investigators state that on Feb. 4, 2026, Callella utilized an internet-based VOIP phone line to contact family members. His messages were sent shortly after the family publicly released a video plea for information regarding their mother’s return. In the text messages, Callella specifically inquired about a bitcoin transfer, including a message that read:

"Did you get the bitcoin were (sic) waiting on our end for the transaction."

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Callella’s plea, described by Department of Justice spokesperson Esther Winne as part of a plea offer, confirms his awareness that a separate, earlier ransom demand had been issued in the case. Authorities noted that his actions were intended to harass the family and gather information regarding the ongoing investigation. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Callella faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, with sentencing scheduled for Sept. 10, 2026.

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, who was reported missing on the morning of Feb. 1, 2026, after she failed to show up at a friend’s house to watch a virtual church service, has been complicated by a series of contradictory ransom communications. The investigation began with an initial ransom note on Feb. 2, 2026, demanding $4 million in bitcoin. A follow-up email sent on Feb. 6, 2026, from the same IP address allegedly apologized for an accidental death and apparently suggested a monetary transaction of some kind in exchange for her body.

The FBI’s Phoenix office recently stated that while some notes have been deemed illegitimate extortion attempts, others are being treated as "potentially legitimate" and remain under active investigation. This follows conflicting reports; earlier, unnamed FBI sources cited by Reuters suggested that multiple ransom notes were definitively fake, including two shared with news outlets shortly after the disappearance and a third note from an individual who claimed to know the identities of the abductors.

The investigation has been hindered by a lack of identified suspects, despite law enforcement obtaining footage from a Google Nest doorbell camera that captured an armed, masked individual on the night of the disappearance. Forensic analysis of DNA and video evidence continues to be a priority for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Spokesperson Kevin Adger noted on June 29, 2026, that no significant breakthrough has been shared with the public. Investigators have also explored the possibility that the masked individual captured on the doorbell camera may have worked with a co-conspirator rather than acting as the sole author of the ransom notes.

The family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother’s body. Savannah Guthrie addressed the ongoing ordeal on June 23, 2026, during a taping of Today, expressing the agony of her family while reiterating her request for the public to come forward with any information. She stated:

"I can't pretend I'm not here, and since I am, I wanted to just take the opportunity to ask people, really to beg people, to come forward."

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Tucson 88-Crime hotline at 1-520-882-7463 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.