A California man is facing criminal charges after allegedly demanding bitcoin payments from the family of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared Sunday in Tucson, Arizona.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, is charged with transmitting a ransom demand related to a kidnapped person, and anonymous interstate communications intended to harass or threaten.
Court documents allege a Tucson TV station received a ransom demand via its online tip portal on Monday requesting payment in bitcoin.
After the family released a public plea video on Wednesday, Guthrie’s daughter and son-in-law each received texts demanding confirmation of payment, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities claim the texts were traced to an email account belonging to Callella, and IP address records showed they were sent from his house.
He allegedly admitted to investigators he sent the texts and called the family to follow up, leading authorities to obtain an arrest warrant.
The earlier ransom note sent to the TV station has not been directly linked to the texts, according to court documents.
A look into the Guthrie family, as officials say no one ‘ruled out yet’
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Thursday there are no suspects or persons of interest in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, noting authorities are “actively looking at everybody we come across in this case.”
Nanos said Guthrie’s family has been “very cooperative,” and has “done everything we’ve asked of them,” but officials have not yet ruled them out.
Members of the Guthrie family include:
Annie Guthrie: Nancy’s eldest daughter is Annie Guthrie, a poet and jeweler who was once the marketing director at the University of Arizona Poetry Center, according to a 2013 profile in Women’s Quarterly.
Tommaso Cioni: Annie is married to Italian-born Tommaso Cioni, an AP biology teacher at BASIS Oro Valley in Tucson. According to his LinkedIn page, he has worked at the school for more than 15 years.
Savannah Guthrie: Nancy’s second daughter is prolific journalist and NBC’s “Today” host Savannah Guthrie. She has worked as a broadcaster at cable stations in Montana, Missouri, Tucson and Washington, D.C. She also worked briefly in white collar criminal defense and later as a clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before returning to journalism.
Mark Feldman: Mark Feldman, Savannah’s husband, is a former Democratic political aide who worked in the Clinton-Gore White House. He worked as senior advisor and traveling chief of staff to Gore, according to People. He is now a business consultant and founding partner of FGS Global, an international communications, consulting and advocacy firm.
Charles Camron Guthrie: Charles Camron Guthrie is the brother of Annie and Savannah. He is a retired military colonel and military colonel who flew F-16s, according to a 2018 Instagram post from Savannah.
Alleged ransom note has second Monday deadline that is ‘much more serious’: TMZ
In the middle of TMZ Live today Harvey and Charles received a shocking new update to the Nancy Guthrie search… pic.twitter.com/jmjdQhgn6d
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 5, 2026
A ransom note allegedly tied to the abduction of NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, in Tucson, Arizona, lists two deadlines, the latter of which TMZ says is “much more serious.”
The first deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, the FBI confirmed. The second deadline is Monday.
“TMZ Live” hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere said the alleged ransom note was sent to their newsroom and lists demands that change with each deadline.
The hosts noted something is “triggered” at each time limit.
Though TMZ did not specify what was in the letter, the outlet reported the second deadline is “much more serious.”
The Guthrie family posted a video on social media Wednesday afternoon, about 24 hours before the first deadline, pleading with captors to communicate with them and ensure Nancy Guthrie’s safe return.
