{"id":9374,"date":"2026-02-06T14:53:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/?p=9374"},"modified":"2026-02-06T14:53:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:53:05","slug":"former-la-county-employee-arrested-in-connection-with-nancy-guthrie-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/former-la-county-employee-arrested-in-connection-with-nancy-guthrie-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Former LA County Employee Arrested in Connection With Nancy Guthrie Case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Federal authorities have arrested a man in connection with the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case\u2014but he\u2019s not suspected of actually taking the 84-year-old. Instead, Derrick Callella, a Southern California resident, allegedly sent fake ransom messages to Nancy\u2019s family referencing bitcoin payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Arizona, Callella was taken into custody on February 5 in Hawthorne, California. Investigators say he sent texts to Nancy\u2019s daughter, Annie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, that read: \u201cDid you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FBI Special Agent Kerry Witherspoon said the messages were sent via a voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) app on February 4, shortly after the family released a public video pleading for Nancy\u2019s safe return. Records show Callella called a family member three minutes later; the call lasted just nine seconds. Authorities confirm these texts have not been linked to the February 2 ransom demand submitted to Tucson news outlet KOLD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe family\u2019s safety and well-being remain our priority,\u201d Assistant Special Agent Jon Edwards said during a Feb. 5 briefing. \u201cWe are treating all ransom notes seriously and following every lead in this ongoing investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading on next page…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Callella has a history of legal trouble. In October 2025, he was identified as one of 13 Los Angeles County employees accused of illegally claiming over $430,000 in unemployment benefits. He faced one felony count of grand theft and a misdemeanor related to the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Guthrie family continues to reach out to anyone with information on Nancy\u2019s whereabouts. Savannah Guthrie posted emotional videos on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, urging whoever may be holding her mother to prove she is alive. \u201cWe need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are ready to talk, but voices and images can be easily manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke warned against exploiting the situation. \u201cTo anyone attempting to profit from this tragedy\u2014be warned. We will investigate and hold you accountable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie\u2019s safe recovery or the arrest of anyone involved in her disappearance. Anyone with tips is urged to call the FBI hotline at 800-225-5324<\/strong>, contact their local FBI office, reach out to the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CTA:<\/strong> If you have any information that could help bring Nancy Guthrie home safely, don\u2019t wait\u2014reach out to the FBI immediately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Federal authorities have arrested a man in connection with the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case\u2014but he\u2019s not suspected of actually taking…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9377,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9374\/revisions\/9377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}