A California man has pleaded guilty to sending fake ransom demands to the family of Nancy Guthrie shortly after the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie vanished in February, authorities announced. Derrick Callella, 42, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of Harassment Using a Telecommunication Device for tracking down phone numbers of Nancy’s daughter Annie Guthrie and her son-in-law on February 4, spoofing his number, and texting them falsely implying he held her captive while asking about bitcoin payment.
The development came as the FBI clarified on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, that while some ransom notes tied to the case were fraudulent extortion attempts, others remain under active investigation as potentially genuine. The statement from FBI Phoenix pushed back against earlier reporting that all kidnapping-related messages had been dismissed as fake.
Investigation Faces Public Criticism
Crime scene expert Sheryl McCollum publicly criticized the investigation as “so botched,” citing lack of communication and unity between the Guthrie family and law enforcement, noting they have never appeared jointly for a unified public statement. Despite the criticism, Savannah Guthrie issued a statement expressing gratitude to both the FBI Phoenix field office and Pima County Sheriff’s Office for their “tireless work.”
Sheriff Chris Nanos faced criticism over his 1982 resignation from the El Paso Police Department in Texas, reportedly amid a dispute with a supervisor over vehicle towing procedures.
Ransom Notes Under Scrutiny
In a statement released Wednesday, the FBI Phoenix office said its task force had received several notes over the course of the investigation. “Some (of the notes) have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy,” the office said. “Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such.”
Federal investigators distinguished between notes they’ve ruled out and those still under review — a difference that could significantly affect how the case proceeds. The FBI’s official statement did not specify an exact number of notes received, characterizing the total only as “several.” The clarification came after an earlier report, citing an unnamed FBI official, claimed federal investigators had determined kidnapping-related messages to be fake.
Multiple notes surfaced in media reports following her disappearance. Tucson television station KOLD-TV said it received two of them — one demanding millions in cryptocurrency for Guthrie’s return, the other claiming she had died shortly after being taken. A note claimed to identify the kidnappers. The ransom demands included payment deadlines of February 5 and February 9. In one development disclosed earlier in the investigation, federal agents transferred a small sum of cryptocurrency to a wallet address provided in one of the messages; those funds were never withdrawn and remained untouched.
Case Continues as Kidnapping Investigation
The FBI’s Wednesday statement was unambiguous on one point: the investigation has not shifted categories. “This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case,” the FBI said. According to the bureau, that classification affects resource allocation, agency participation, and tip evaluation procedures.
Son-in-law Tommaso Cioni brought Nancy Guthrie to her Catalina Foothills residence in Tucson, Ariz., following dinner with family on the evening of January 31, around 9:45 p.m. She was reported missing around noon the following day, February 1, after she failed to appear for a church service online. She left without her phone or essential medications — details that alarmed investigators from the outset.
Authorities found blood near the front doorstep of her home. On February 10, the FBI released doorbell camera footage showing a masked, armed individual on the porch the night she disappeared. Investigators are also analyzing mixed DNA recovered from the home, including a hair sample, though no arrests or suspects have been publicly identified.
Ongoing Search and Reward
Volunteers and search teams have repeatedly combed the desert terrain surrounding Tucson since Guthrie’s disappearance. A volunteer group conducted a search near the Arizona-Mexico border. Despite those efforts, no physical trace of Guthrie has been publicly reported.
Authorities are offering $1.2 million combined to anyone who provides information that leads to her recovery. Pima County Sheriff’s Department officials said they treat all tips seriously and share them with detectives coordinating with federal agents, but referred questions about the ransom notes to the FBI.
Nancy Guthrie has now been missing for five months, with no confirmed sighting and no arrest. The investigation remains active.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
