LA-area man accused of sending 'impostor' ransom demand to Savannah Guthrie's family

Nathaniel Percy, The Orange County Register on Feb 5, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LOS ANGELES — A Hawthorne man faces federal charges for allegedly sending an “impostor ransom demand” through text messages to relatives of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing on Jan. 31, court documents show.

Authorities accuse Derrick Callella, 42, of using a “voice over internet protocol” text and call application to send a message to a daughter and son-in-law of Nancy Guthrie asking, “Did you get the bitcoin were (sic) waiting on our end for the transaction,” on Wednesday, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, Feb. 5.

Federal authorities learned the phone number was connected to the voice over internet protocol, got the IP address from where the message was sent and determined it was associated with Callella’s home, the complaint says.

Callella allegedly admitted to sending the two text messages and told agents that he pulled family information from a website and that he had been following the case and watching television, the complaint says.

He said he “was trying to see if the family would respond,” the document says. Three minutes after sending the messages, Callella allegedly called a family member.

Callella’s messages were sent after Guthrie’s family had published a video asking her kidnappers to contact them about their mother, the complaint says.

Callella has been charged with single counts of transmitting in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any demand or request for a ransom or reward for the release of any kidnapped person and utilizing a telecommunications device without disclosing his identity and with intent to abuse, threaten, or harass any specific person, the court records show.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday it is believed Callella will make his initial court appearance in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.

Federal authorities said the messages are not linked to a Feb. 2 ransom demand, which was sent to television station’s online tip portal and listed a Bitcoin wallet to receive the payment. Arizona officials said Thursday during a press conference that they were investigating and taking that demand seriously.

Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix, said the note included a demand for money with a deadline set for Thursday evening and a second one for Monday if the first deadline wasn’t met.

Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31 after family members dropped her off at home in Tucson after a night of dinner and playing games, authorities said. About four hours later, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected and software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.

At nearly 2:30 a.m., Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her home and blood found on the front porch was a match to her, Nanos said.

Officials said during the press conference they have no proof that Guthrie is still alive, but were holding out hope that she is.

_____