As the investigation into Nancy Guthrie enters its fifth month without any updates regarding suspects, a man from California has admitted guilt for sending a fraudulent ransom note and for harassing the 84-year-old’s daughter, Annie Guthrie, along with her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni.
Nancy Guthrie update: Derrick Callella pleads guilty
According to KVOA, a local NBC affiliate, 42-year-old Derrick Callella has pleaded guilty to two felony charges: one for transmitting a ransom demand across state lines and another for using a telecommunications device to threaten or harass. He is required to complete five years of probation and is set to be sentenced on September 10.
Callella, hailing from Hawthorne, California, was apprehended shortly after Nancy’s disappearance on charges of harassment. He allegedly contacted Annie and Cioni using a spoofed phone number on February 4, inquiring, “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” according to Fox News Digital. Following this, he reportedly made a nine-second phone call to the family.
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“Through the course of the investigation, it was found that Callella was acting as an imposter, trying to take advantage of the ongoing situation,” federal prosecutors stated in a statement in mid-February.
Nancy, the mother of Savannah Guthrie from Today, was reported missing on February 1, with police suspecting she was abducted from her residence in Tucson, Arizona. Investigators have made public doorbell camera footage featuring a masked individual and have submitted DNA samples for analysis at the FBI laboratory in Quantico. However, no suspects have been publicly identified.
Pima County Sheriff rejects Guthrie’s family involvement
During a press conference in February, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos dismissed any potential involvement of the Guthrie family. “To be clear… the Guthrie family, to include all siblings and spouses, has been cleared as possible suspects,” he stated. “The family has been nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case. To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel. The Guthrie family are victims, plain and simple.”
FBI gives update on ransom notes
On Wednesday (July 1), the FBIPhoenix X account issued a statement regarding the various ransom notes that were received during the course of the investigation.
“The FBI and its task force partners have received several ransom notes over the course of this investigation,” the FBI said. “Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such. This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”
