Derrick Callella of California was arrested and charged Thursday over a fake ransom demand for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.
“Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” Callella allegedly texted two family members of Nancy Guthrie on Wednesday, following reports of a ransom demand tied to the woman’s disappearance that listed a Bitcoin wallet address.
The criminal complaint, filed in Arizona federal court, says that Callella admitted to sending the messages. It was not immediately clear whether Callella had retained an attorney.
Authorities believe the 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was taken from her ranch-style home just outside Tucson, Arizona, in the Catalina Foothills five days ago.
An FBI official announced the arrest of the “total imposter” on Thursday at a press conference over Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
“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’s special agent in charge, Heith Janke, said at the press conference.
Janke also issued a message to anyone involved in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, urging them to “do the right thing.”
“This is an 84-year-old grandma that needs vital medication for her well-being,” Janke said.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance, Janke announced.
Authorities said that an additional ransom letter regarding Nancy Guthrie, sent to local and national media outlets, is being taken “seriously.”
That note made a monetary “demand” for 5 p.m. local time Thursday, said Janke.
“If a transfer wasn’t made, then I think a second demand was for next Monday,” Janke said, declining to provide other specifics.
An Apple Watch and a floodlight were also mentioned in ransom letters, Janke said.
“We’re not going to go into specifics. It’s very important that we keep this investigation moving forward, and we don’t want to put more facts out there that others then can use to try to profit from this,” he said.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department
Authorities revealed new details around the timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance on Thursday and confirmed that the blood discovered on the elderly woman’s porch belonged to her.
Nancy Guthrie was dropped off at her home by her family just before 10 p.m. on January 31. At 1:47 a.m. MST the next day, the woman’s doorbell camera disconnected, police said.
At 2:12 a.m., the doorbell software detected a person on the camera, but there was no available video footage, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said during the Thursday press conference. Minutes later, Nancy Guthrie’s pacemaker app showed a disconnect from her phone.
Her family checked in on her at 11:56 a.m. and called 911 shortly after, police said.
Nanos said that Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera had also been removed. No suspects or persons of interest have yet been identified in the case, the sheriff said.
On Wednesday, in an emotional video post alongside her siblings, Savannah Guthrie pleaded to her mother’s possible abductors to “please reach out to us.”
“We, too, have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media. As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk,” the famed NBC anchor said, adding, “We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen.”
Nancy Guthrie suffers from physical ailments and requires daily medications that, if not taken every 24 hours, could have life-threatening consequences.
“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said.
