A California man was arrested early Thursday and charged with sending a fake ransom demand to Nancy Guthrie’s family.
Derrick Callella was taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigations after he texted Nancy’s daughter, Annie, and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, and demanded Bitcoin.
Callella told the FBI he texted the family to see if they would respond.
“My next message is to those impostors who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation,” said Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division. “We will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions. We have made one arrest related to an impostor ransom demand, and a complaint will be presented to a magistrate judge later today.”
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen on Saturday night, Jan. 31, when her eldest daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni dropped her off at her home in Tucson, Arizona.
“Today” show host Savannah Guthrie (center) and her 2 siblings appeared in an Instagram video on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
In the video, Savannah Guthrie (center) spoke directly to the kidnapper(s) who may be holding Nancy hostage.
She acknowledged reports about ransom notes sent to TMZ and a local news affiliate demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin.
“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,” Savannah Guthrie read slowly. “However, we live in a world in which voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she’s alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”
The FBI increased the reward to $50,000 for information leading to the safe recovery of Nancy Guthrie.
“We’re going to start today by announcing a $50,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance,” Janke said.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said he spoke to Savannah Guthrie, and he offered to deploy “all federal sources” to Arizona to help search for her mother.
Nancy Guthrie and her 2 daughters, Savannah and Annie, are Democrats who despised Trump.
In a 2020 post on Facebook, Nancy wrote: “I am so looking forward to seeing the Trump family in jail.”
