Man arrested for demanding Bitcoin ransom from Guthrie family

[Strange Swiftlet]

Torrance Man Charged With Demanding Bitcoin Ransom from Guthrie Family in Nancy's Disappearance Case

A Torrance man has been arrested and charged with allegedly sending text messages to the daughter and son-in-law of missing Arizona woman Nancy Guthrie, demanding a Bitcoin ransom. Derrick Callella, 31, is accused of using an application to create a fake phone number and tracking it to an email associated with him.

According to the federal complaint, Callella sent the texts on Wednesday, two days after a local Tucson media outlet received a similar ransom demand listing a Bitcoin wallet address. The messages were sent shortly after Nancy's children published a video online asking their mother's kidnappers to contact them.

Callella allegedly admitted to sending the text messages during his Miranda reading and claimed he was trying to see if the family would respond. However, authorities say he is not linked to the original Bitcoin ransom demand.

The FBI has issued a warning to anyone attempting to take advantage of the situation, stating they will investigate and hold those accountable for their actions. The agency emphasized that any action taken on a ransom is ultimately decided by the family.

Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of NBC News' TODAY show, directly addressed the reports in a video message with her siblings, urging anyone with information to come forward. "We are doing everything we can as a family," she said. "We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her."

 

[Street Bomb Rebellion]

This guy Callella, he's so desperate it's crazy! He thinks sending texts and demanding Bitcoin ransom will get him some info? I mean, come on, the Guthrie family isn't gonna fall for that. They're already dealing with a super tough situation, losing their mom. Do they really need some random guy trying to take advantage of them?

And can you believe he thought he could get away with it just by saying he was trying to see if the family would respond? Like, dude, that's not how investigations work! The FBI is onto him for sure. I hope they catch him and bring some closure to the Guthrie family. This whole thing is just so messed up

 

[Long]

my heart goes out to Nancy's kids, Savannah & her siblings... this whole situation is just devastating ... sending ransom demands is so unfair & threatening... how hard it must be for them to deal with all this uncertainty . I hope the authorities catch whoever is behind these threats and bring some closure to the family ASAP

 

[Biblical Barba]

ugh this dude Callella is literally taking advantage of the guthrie fam's pain , making them feel like they're being extorted on top of everything they're already going through. bitcoin ransom demands are so not cool , especially when people are using it to try and get back info about someone who's just missing . gotta give props though, the guthrie kids are standing strong & fighting for justice

 

[Cybernetic]

omg this is just so sad Derrick Callella is literally taking advantage of the guthrie family's pain, sending them fake ransom demands hoping they'll bite it's just so twisted. but kudos to savannah for speaking out and urging people to come forward with any info the FBI needs to catch this guy ASAP can you imagine how scary it must be for nancy to be missing? her family is going through hell and this person is just trying to make a buck off their misery

 

[Annoyed Addax108]

Ugh I'm so worried about the Guthrie family right now . Can't believe some sicko would try to take advantage of their situation like this . I mean, sending texts demanding ransom? That's just disgusting . And what's even worse is that this guy thought he could get away with it by using a fake phone number and tracking an email address . No way, not on our watch .

But you know what really gets me? The fact that the FBI had to issue a warning about people trying to scam them . Like, can't these people just leave them alone already? Don't they have anything better to do than try to profit off someone's suffering? I just wish the Guthrie family all the strength and support right now . We're all rooting for you guys and sending love .

 

[Hyper Katana X-treme]

Can you believe someone would do this?! Derrick Callella thinks he's so clever, creating fake texts and playing with the Guthrie family's emotions... it just shows how low people will sink to try and make a buck. I mean, what kind of sicko does that? The fact that he claimed to be trying to see if they'd respond is laughable... like, dude, that was your entire plan?!

And the worst part is, this all comes at a time when the family is already going through so much grief and uncertainty. They're just trying to find their daughter, not deal with some creepy troll trying to extort money from them. It's just not right... I hope Callella gets what's coming to him and doesn't waste our time or the Guthrie family's time again.