Nancy Guthrie Update: Man arrested for sending bitcoin ransom texts to Guthrie family set to go on trial; check date

Nancy Guthrie Case Update: The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC’s ‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie, has been going on for nearly three months now and yet authorities have failed to arrest a suspect in the case. Nancy vanished from her Tucson home in Arizona on January 31, 2026 and was reported missing by her family on February 1, 2026.

The motive behind the alleged abduction of the 84-year-old woman has not yet been ascertained. However, investigators are actively narrowing down potential scenarios, with much of the focus centered on the multiple ransom notes received.

Amid the ongoing investigation into the high-profile case, one individual has been charged, marking the first arrest linked to Nancy’s disappearance. The suspect was identified as Derrick Callella, a Los Angeles-area man, was arrested four days after the disappearance for texting the Guthrie family about Bitcoin. Now, he’s been charged. Police believe most of the ransom notes received were fake.


A few days after Nancy’s disappearance, Callella reportedly contacted the Guthrie family, including Annie Guthrie and Tommaso Cioni, with a ransom demand, but it proved to be baseless.

“On Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, the FBI arrested Derrick Callella, 42, in Hawthorne, Calif. Callella has been charged via a criminal complaint filed in federal court for transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce, and without disclosing his identity, utilizing a telecommunications device with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass a person., US Attorney's Office, District of Arizona had said in a release following the arrest.

“To those imposters who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation – we will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions,” FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said, according to the release. According to KGUN 9 in Tucson, a trial date has been set for the federal courthouse in Tucson on June 23.

The grand jury indictment describes how he sent two text messages to two members of the Guthrie family on February 4, asking, quote, “Did you get the 12 bitcoin? We’re waiting on our end for the transaction,” the television station reported. According to investigators, Callella was acting as an imposter.

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