A California man faces federal charges for sending an “imposter” ransom note to the family of Nancy Guthrie, 84, who has been missing since Saturday. Nancy Guthrie, of Arizona, is the mother of Savannah Guthrie, an anchor on NBC’s “Today” show.
Derrick Callella, according to a Department of Justice criminal complaint, faces two charges: one for transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce; and the other for anonymously using a telecommunications device “with intent to abuse, threaten or harass any specific person.”
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Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31 in her residence outside Tucson. On Feb. 1, one of her friends contacted her family to tell them she didn’t go to church that morning. Around noon that day, Nancy Guthrie’s family went to her house and reported her missing to law enforcement.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office has not identified a suspect or person of interest in the case.
However, FBI Agent Heith Jank, at a news conference Thursday, confirmed that they made one arrest “related to an imposter ransom demand.”
To anyone else thinking of “trying to take advantage and profit from this situation,” Jank said: “We will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions.”
Reports of ransom notes
In the days following their mother’s disappearance, Savannah Guthrie, along with her sister Annie and brother Camron, put out a video, saying they are aware of reports of a possible ransom letter sent to a local media outlet. They asked whoever wrote it to contact them.
After that video was published, the DOJ said, Nancy Guthrie’s daughter and son-in-law, identified as “A.C. and T.C,” receive∂d a text asking, “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction?”
Authorities found that the number was associated with an app that lets people obtain a phone number different from the one originally assigned by a wireless carrier. Records showed that the number was registered to an email address with Callella’s full name, according to the DOJ complaint. These records also connected the IP address from which the bogus phone number was accessed to Callella’s residence in California, the complaint said.
Callella, according to the criminal complaint, admitted to sending the text message and said he got the relatives’ phone numbers from a website. He had been following the case and sent the text messages to see if the family would respond, the complaint said.
Text messages Callella allegedly sent are not linked to the ransom demands sent to local media, authorities said.
