An arrest has been made in the case of Nancy Guthriethe disappearance of a fake ransom note sent to the authorities.
Nancy, the mother of today cohost Savannah Guthrieshe was reported missing by her family on Sunday, February 1, after a friend noticed that she did not attend a church service that morning. Nancy was last seen on Saturday, January 31st.
Police believe Nancy was abducted, citing mobility issues that would likely make her unable to leave on her own, as well as evidence at her home.
In the midst of the search for Nancy, the FBI revealed during a press conference on Thursday, February 5 that they arrested someone for a “fraudulent” ransom demand.
Keep scrolling to see everything we know about the impostor’s rescue letter:
The FBI has reportedly reviewed a ransom note sent to a local news station amid the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News on Tuesday, February 3 that investigators have analyzed the alleged note, which was received by an unspecified station in Arizona a day earlier. “It is (…)
What is a rescue letter?
According to Merriam-Webster, a ransom letter or note is a threatening message that demands money or other valuables in exchange for the safe return of a kidnapped person or something else of value to the recipient. Ransom letters are usually anonymous and provide specific instructions for delivering the ransom.
Who Was Arrested for the ‘Imposter’ Ransom Note in the Nancy Guthrie Case?
During a press conference Thursday, FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heath Janke he stated that an arrest had been made for a fake ransom note sent amid Nancy’s disappearance.
“There is no evidence to connect this to Nancy’s case. This was someone who was trying to take advantage of her,” Janke said.
Janke added: “My next message is to those scammers who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation. We will investigate and make sure you are held accountable for your actions. This is an 84-year-old grandmother who needs vital medication for her well-being. You still have time to do the right thing before this turns into a worse, much worse scenario for you.”
While Janke did not provide further details about the arrest at the news conference, a criminal complaint filed later Thursday revealed that a Los Angeles man named Derrick Callella was accused of sending the fake ransom note, according to The New York Post.
Callella, who is in her forties, contacted Savannah’s sister, Annie Guthrieand Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioniabout Nancy’s disappearance on February 4, the complaint revealed, according to the outlet.
“You received the bitcoin they were waiting on our end for the transaction,” Callella’s message allegedly read.
Data obtained by authorities also revealed that Callella made a nine-second call to an unidentified family member of Nancy’s. The disclosure came shortly after Savannah, Annie and Bro Cameron issued an emotional video statement calling for the safe return of his mother.
Nancy’s family members sent the alleged ransom letter to authorities, who tracked the number to Callella’s residence in California, according to court documents.
Callella then confessed to police that he had been following the case and pulled the Guthrie family’s contact information from a website.
“He said … he was trying to see if the family would respond,” the complaint revealed.
What was Derrick Callella accused of?
Callella was accused of two crimes of transmitting communication that contained a demand or request for ransom in exchange for the release of a kidnapped person, according to documents obtained by NY Post.
Us Weekly reached out to the FBI and district attorney for comment on the impostor’s arrest.
Is there another bailout letter in the Nancy Guthrie case?
Callella’s fake ransom note has not been linked to a separate ransom letter sent to local and national media, including TMZMonday February 2. Police are still investigating this letter, which contained a deadline to receive the ransom money Thursday, according to Janke.
“I think we’re starting to look at what the terms were in the memo,” Janke said at Thursday’s news conference. “First, I think today was 5 p.m., and then I had a second deadline after that. So we’re still in a normal kidnapping case, now there would be contact to try to discuss it. But those are the time frames we’re looking at as we go forward.”
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is clarifying key details about the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie. Authorities held a press conference Thursday, Feb. 5, a day after Savannah, 54, and her siblings, Annie and Camron Guthrie, shared an emotional video about their mother’s whereabouts. “We saw last night, the family, (…)
Janke continued: “If a transfer wasn’t made, I think a second suit was due next Monday. We’re not going any further.”
Mary Colemanan anchor for Arizona’s KOLD 13 News, one of the outlets that received the rescue letter Monday, revealed during an interview with CNN that it came via email. He claimed it was “clear after a couple of sentences” that “maybe it’s not a hoax.”
“A lot of this is information that only someone who held him for ransom would know,” he said. “Some very sensitive information and things that people who weren’t there when they took her captive wouldn’t know.”
According to Coleman, the email “included a dollar amount, a deadline” and other details “that only Guthrie’s kidnapper would know, so it definitely raised some red flags.”
Coleman added that authorities are “still looking at the legitimacy” of the note, but are taking it seriously.