Welcome to Arrest Stories. A forty-two-year-old California man has been arrested for allegedly sending fake ransom demands to the family of missing Nancy Guthrie while posing as her actual abductor. Here's what may have happened.
In Hawthorne, California, Derrick Callella was taken into custody for allegedly exploiting a family's desperate search for their missing loved one. Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home against her will on January thirty-first late evening or February first early morning.
On February second, a local Tucson media outlet received a ransom demand that listed a Bitcoin wallet address. Two days later, Guthrie's daughter Annie and son-in-law Tomasso Cioni received disturbing text messages. The messages came moments after the family released a video message asking for proof of life from whoever had taken Guthrie.
According to the police complaint, Callella allegedly used an application to create a fake phone number to send the text messages to the family. The messages demanded Bitcoin payment, with one reading "Did you get the bitcoin were waiting on our end for the transaction."
Law enforcement traced the text messages, which were sent from a VOIP internet phone line. The account was tracked to an email address associated with Callella. Investigators determined the call was made from his California home.
After being read his Miranda rights, Callella allegedly admitted to sending the text messages to the family. According to authorities, when questioned about his motives, Callella stated "he was trying to see if the family would respond."
The Department of Justice emphasized their commitment to protecting victims, with officials stating "grief profiteers will be held accountable. This case came together in under twenty-four hours because of the coordinated work of the FBI, local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California."
Callella is not linked to the original Bitcoin ransom demand according to the complaint, and authorities have not connected him to Guthrie's actual disappearance.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.