Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie

A California man who pleaded guilty to sending fraudulent ransom messages targeting the family of missing Tucson woman Nancy Guthrie has been ordered by a federal judge to complete inpatient substance abuse treatment ahead of his sentencing, as the broader investigation into Guthrie's disappearance continues more than five months after she vanished.

Derrick Anthony Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, pleaded guilty on Thursday, July 2, to two counts of Harassment Using a Telecommunication Device, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona. Callella was arrested in February after the FBI determined he had been sending fraudulent ransom messages to Nancy Guthrie's daughter, Annie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Callella admitted as part of his plea that he called and sent text messages to the family on February 4, 2026, inquiring about a bitcoin transfer. "In his plea, Callella admitted that he called and sent text messages to a missing person's family on Feb. 4, 2026, which asked about a bitcoin transfer. Callella acknowledged that he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The office added that Callella's actions were not motivated by any actual involvement in Guthrie's disappearance. "Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into the missing person's disappearance," the statement said.

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home in the Catalina Foothills area of Tucson in the early hours of February 1, 2026. Authorities believe she was taken from her home against her will, and the case remains under active investigation by the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Office, which have confirmed they are treating it as a kidnapping for ransom.

As part of his sentencing process, a federal judge has directed Callella to reside in an inpatient substance-use treatment facility or a halfway house for the time being, according to Fox News. Callella is required to follow whatever treatment program he enters and to contribute toward the cost of that treatment as instructed by the U.S. Pretrial Services Division. Should he fail to comply with those requirements, the U.S. Marshals Service has the authority to remove him from the program and place him in temporary custody. Once he completes the treatment program, Callella will be permitted to live in a residence approved by the U.S. Pretrial Services Division.

Inpatient substance abuse programs generally require patients to remain at a treatment facility full-time while receiving care for substance use disorders, according to the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. Such programs are typically reserved for individuals dealing with severe addiction issues or those who require a highly structured environment in order to recover successfully.

Callella's conviction on the harassment charges carries a maximum potential penalty of two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, along with one year of supervised release following any prison term. His sentencing has been scheduled for September 10, 2026, at which point a judge will determine the specific penalty he will face.

Authorities have said Callella was not responsible for a separate, more widely publicized ransom note sent directly to media outlets earlier in the investigation, one that reportedly claimed Guthrie had died shortly after her disappearance. That note, along with other messages the family and media outlets have received throughout the case, remains under separate investigation, and officials have not yet determined whether any of those additional communications are genuine or connected to Guthrie's actual disappearance.

The broader investigation into Guthrie's case has produced a series of conflicting public statements from federal officials regarding the authenticity of the various ransom notes received throughout the process. A Reuters report published earlier this month cited a source saying an FBI official had determined none of the notes sent in connection with the case were legitimate, a characterization that appeared to conflict with a subsequent statement from the FBI's Phoenix field office describing several notes as still under active investigation for potential legitimacy. That discrepancy has drawn scrutiny from outside observers, including at least one retired FBI agent who has publicly speculated that internal disagreement exists within the bureau over how to interpret certain pieces of evidence in the case.

Despite the passage of more than five months since Guthrie went missing, no suspects have been publicly named or arrested in connection with her disappearance. Investigators have said evidence recovered at Guthrie's home, including bloodstains later confirmed to belong to her, indicated she was taken against her will on the morning she vanished. The FBI previously released doorbell camera footage from the morning of her disappearance showing a masked, armed individual outside her home, an individual the bureau has described as a suspect in the case.

Guthrie's family, including Savannah Guthrie, has offered a combined reward exceeding $1 million for information leading to her recovery, and authorities have continued to urge anyone with relevant information to come forward. All members of the Guthrie family, along with their spouses, have been officially cleared as suspects in the investigation.

Callella's case represents one of several instances in which individuals unconnected to Guthrie's actual disappearance have targeted her family with fraudulent claims or communications since she went missing, a pattern that has added additional strain to an already difficult and prolonged investigation. Authorities have not indicated whether additional arrests related to other fraudulent communications sent during the case are expected in the near future.

Anyone with information related to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance is encouraged to contact the FBI's tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or to reach out directly to the Pima County Sheriff's Department. The investigation remains active, and officials have described it as ongoing even as the case approaches its sixth month without a confirmed resolution.

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