:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Derrick-Callella-and-Nancy-Guthrie-021326-02d7123b671044b4a109e85c72894027.jpg)
Derrick Callella leaving court; Nancy Guthrie.Credit : KOLD NEWS 13/YouTube; Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
The man accused by federal authorities of sending fake ransom texts to Nancy Guthrie’s family amid the investigation into her kidnapping has been released from custody on pre-trial conditions
Derrick Callella, 42, allegedly sent ransom demand text messages to Nancy’s daughter Annie Guthrie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, on Feb. 4, law enforcement claims
Authorities are continuing to investigate Nancy’s kidnapping. She has not been seen since Jan. 31
The man accused by federal authorities of sending fake ransom texts to Nancy Guthrie’s family amid the investigation into her kidnapping has been released from custody.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, Calif., appeared in federal court in Tucson on Thursday, Feb. 12. He is charged with two offenses: transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce and utilizing a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person “without disclosing his identity,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release.
He was released with pre-trial restrictions after his court appearance and declined to speak to reporters, according to local news stations KOLD and KVOA. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona also confirmed Callella’s release in a statement to PEOPLE on Friday, Feb. 13.
Federal court records do not list an attorney who can speak on Callella’s behalf.
Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now!
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/People_Onsite_ATF_Overlay_DesktopVersion_070125_qr_code11-6a9808bc1dfa4c2a9603155d7a5343d3.png)
According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, authorities allege Callella sent ransom demand text messages to Nancy’s daughter Annie Guthrie, and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, on Feb. 4.
“Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” one of the texts allegedly read, per the complaint. Three minutes later, Callella allegedly made a call to a family member, which lasted nine seconds. (That family member was not identified.)
The complaint claims that the texts from Callella came shortly after Nancy’s other daughter, Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, posted a video on Instagram alongside her siblings, asking Nancy’s apparent kidnappers to contact them.
“As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk,” the journalist said in the clip.
Nancy, 84, was last seen on Jan. 31, and authorities believe she was kidnapped from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. No suspects or persons of interest have been named in the case.
However, the FBI has released surveillance footage of a masked and “armed” person appearing to tamper with a Nest camera at Nancy’s front door on the morning of her kidnapping.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/nancy-guthrie-nest-camera3-21026-f1f6f4a960a54b2abfab1ec3724796af.jpg)
A person seen on Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera on the morning of Feb. 1.Pima County Sheriff’s Department
“The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack,” the FBI Phoenix office said in a post on X shared Thursday.
Since Nancy went missing, multiple alleged ransom notes requesting multimillion dollar sums in bitcoin for her return have been sent to Arizona news stations KOLD and KGUN, but federal authorities said in the complaint that Callella is not connected to those.
Related Stories
FBI Releases New Physical Description of Suspect In Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping, Ups Reward to $100,000
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Nancy-Guthrie-suspect-021226-1521218e5dc64fd8a8fb0ceae0ffea74.jpg)
FBI ‘Not Aware’ of Any ‘Continued’ Contact Between Nancy Guthrie’s Family and Kidnappers as Ransom Deadline Passes
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/nancy-guthrie-savannah-2626-b9e8ef0da75b4e32ba8dce61ecc00353.jpg)
After investigators identified Callella as the person allegedly linked to the phone number that sent the texts, they took him into custody, the complaint states.
While speaking to investigators, the complaint says, Callella allegedly admitted to sending the text messages. He claimed he found the family’s information on a “cyber site” and had been following the case on TV, per the complaint.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(767x371:769x373):format(webp)/Nancy-Savannah-Guthrie-today-2019-020226-13a98ca6b162416994d8777cc90e343b.jpg)
Nancy and Savannah Guthrie.Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
FBI agent Heith Janke announced at a press conference on Feb. 5 that a person had been charged in connection with an imposter ransom demand. Callella was later identified as that suspect.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI will continue to hold this defendant accountable and any other individuals who seek to interfere with federal investigations or profit from the victim’s family’s grief,” the release states.
As for Nancy’s case, the FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to her recovery or an arrest.
News
“HER 13 WORDS ARE HAUNTING EVERYONE NOW.” The Joke Lynette Made Before His Arrest Feels Chilling
The quiet suburban community that once knew Lynette Hooker as a devoted mother and friendly neighbor has now become the center of a deeply unsettling mystery—one that continues to unfold with shocking twists. At the heart of the case lies a haunting detail that has gripped both investigators and the public alike: a chilling 13-word […]
“SIX DAYS OF SILENCE… THEN THIS WAS FOUND ON HIM.” The Evidence That Could Change Everything
Lynette Hooker, left, and Brian Hooker. From Lynette Hooker/Facebook It has been nearly a week since she vanished at sea, and Lynette Hooker’s husband of 25 years has spent the past several days in custody in the Bahamas, where he’s been questioned in connection with her disappearance. From the beginning, Brian Hooker has […]
“A FRIEND JUST BROKE THEIR SILENCE… AND EVERYTHING MAY CHANGE.” A New Theory Challenges What We Thought We Knew
The 55-year-old mom hasn’t been seen since her husband, Brian Hooker, 59, alleged she was swept away in rough seas after falling from their dinghy over the weekend. Lynette Hooker hasn’t been seen since her husband, Brian, alleged she was swept away in rough seas in the Bahamas after falling from their boat.Facebook / Lynette […]
“369 PAGES… ONE CLAIM THAT COULD DESTROY EVERYTHING.” A Prison Letter Turns the ‘Survivor’ Story Upside Down
Gerhardt Konig was on trial in March 2026, a year after he attempted to push his wife while on a hike Gerhardt Konig; Arielle Konig. NEED TO KNOW Gerhardt Konig was accused of trying to murder his wife, Arielle Konig, while on a hike in March 2025 At the time of the attack, Gerhardt and […]
“SHE LAUGHED WHEN SHE SAID IT… NO ONE REALIZED WHAT IT MEANT.” The Joke Lynette Made Days Before Vanishing Now Feels Chilling 💔 Just days before she disappeared at sea in the Bahamas, Lynette Hooker joked in a YouTube video about “getting sick” of her husband.
Missing mom Lynette Hooker joked about “getting sick” of her husband in the final video shared on her YouTube channel — days before she vanished from the couple’s boat in the Bahamas. Hooker, 55, shared the short clip on the YouTube channel she maintained with hubby Brian Hooker, 59, who has since been arrested in […]
“HE DIDN’T PUSH HER… BUT HIS NEW CONFESSION IS EVEN DARKER.” Brian Hooker’s Claim Sparks Fury 💔 In a shocking twist, Brian Hooker now denies pushing Lynette overboard—but admits he took her somewhere else for something far more disturbing. The revelation has only deepened the mystery… and left her family outraged, demanding the truth behind what really happened.
The case of Lynette Hooker has taken another dramatic turn as new, unverified claims circulate about statements allegedly made by her husband, Brian Hooker. According to these reports, Brian now denies pushing his wife overboard—offering a different version of events. However, authorities have not publicly confirmed the details of any such admission, and investigators caution that information currently spreading online may be […]
End of content
No more pages to load
