The disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mom, Nancy Guthrie, has been in the news for the past few days. Guthrie was first reported to be missing from her home in Arizona on Saturday, January 31, and was later confirmed to have been abducted. Later, police said blood was found at the house and that a ransom note was received. For a while there, there was hope. Then, the note was revealed to have been the work of an imposter.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, February 5, Annie Guthrie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, both received text messages from Derrick Callella after the Guthrie family, including siblings Savannah, Camron, and Annie, made a video about their mother’s disappearance.
Related: Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?
Callella was arrested on February 5 and charged with transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce without disclosing his identity and utilizing a telecommunications device with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass a person. The messages he sent reportedly read: “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the translation.”
“The Department of Justice will protect victims and families at all costs, and grief profiteers will be held accountable,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in a press release. “This case came together in under 24 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.”
FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said about the situation, “To those imposters who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation – we will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions.”
As of right now, the police are operating on the belief that Nancy Guthrie is still alive and investigating as such. “We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a new interview that aired live on the Today show on Wednesday, Feb. 4. “She’s present. She’s alive, and we want to save her.”
Nancy Guthrie and her late husband Charles shared three kids: Savannah, Annie and Camron. She had dinner with her daughter Annie on Saturday, January 31, 2026, and is believed to have gone missing sometime after 9:30 p.m. When she didn’t show up for church on Sunday, her family checked in on her and arrived to find her phone, wallet and keys at her home, but no sign of her.
Savannah Guthrie has been absent from the Today show since February 2. She and her siblings posted an Instagram video with a plea to Nancy’s potential abductors. “We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.”
In the video, Savannah also expressed concern over her mother’s health “She is 84 years old,” she said. “Her health, her heart is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive. She needs it not to suffer.”
She ended the video with a message to her mother, “Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley He is with you. Everyone is looking for you mommy, everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again. We speak to you every moment and we pray without ceasing and we rejoice in advance for the day that we hold you in our arms again. We love you.” She captioned the post, “Bring her home.”
