Derrick Callella update: Investigators have disclosed that they are examining a new message that was directed to a Tucson news station during the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie. This development coincides with the first court appearance on Friday of a Southern California man who is accused of sending a ransom note to the Guthrie family.
Nancy, the mother of TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie, is thought to have been kidnapped from her residence in Arizona early on Sunday. Authorities have stated that no suspect or person of interest has been identified in this case, ABC7 reported.
Also Read: Nancy Guthrie missing case: FBI and Sheriff examine fresh leads after finding ‘new message’
Allegations against Derrick Callella
Derrick Callella, 42, faces allegations of sending a fraudulent ransom letter to the Guthrie family. Initially, officials stated that Callella was from Torrance, but they later corrected this to confirm that he is actually from Hawthorne.
FBI apprehended Callella in Hawthorne on Thursday and he made an appearance in a federal courtroom in Santa Ana on Friday afternoon.
{{/usCountry}}FBI apprehended Callella in Hawthorne on Thursday and he made an appearance in a federal courtroom in Santa Ana on Friday afternoon.
{{/usCountry}}He is accused of sending a text to Guthrie's daughter and son-in-law that stated, “Did you get the Bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction," as per ABC7.
The messages were sent out two days after a ransom demand was made to a local Tucson media outlet, which provided a Bitcoin wallet address for the payment, as detailed in the complaint.
Derrick Callella's makes major admission
Furthermore, these messages were transmitted shortly after Nancy's children posted a video online appealing to their mother's kidnappers to contact them, as mentioned in the complaint.
Callella is reported to have used an application to create a fake phone number to communicate with the family, and this account was traced back to an email associated with him, according to the complaint.
He allegedly confessed to sending the text messages after being read his Miranda rights, as indicated in the complaint. "When he said that he sent text messages, he was trying to see if the family would respond,” he said, according to ABC7.
Callella is not associated with the Bitcoin ransom request, as stated in the complaint.
Callella faces charges for sending a ransom demand and utilizing a telecommunication device with the purpose of abusing, threatening, or harassing a person.
On Friday, the judge mandated his release on a $20,000 bond and instructed him to refrain from contacting victims or witnesses.