Savannah Guthrie Mom Case Gets First Guilty Plea

The First Conviction

Savannah Guthrie has spent five months looking for her mother - but this week, the case took its first criminal turn.

On July 2, 2026, a California man pleaded guilty to federal charges for sending fake ransom messages to the Guthrie family, becoming the first person convicted of any crime connected to the kidnapping of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. And in a separate development, the FBI acknowledged it had received a ransom note - sent in February - claiming that Guthrie had died shortly after her abduction. That note had been kept from the public for nearly four months.

Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance

Nancy Guthrie was 84 years old and living in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, when she disappeared on the night of January 31, 2026. A family member had dropped her off at home after dinner. Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s doorbell camera captured a masked figure approaching her door in the hours that followed, wearing gloves, a backpack, and what appeared to be a holster.

Bloodstains found at the scene were confirmed to be hers. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI launched a joint investigation and classified the case as a kidnapping for ransom.

Savannah Guthrie, the NBC Today co-anchor, stepped away from her broadcasting duties - including coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics - to assist in the search.

The Fake Death Note

Ransom notes began appearing in media reports shortly after Guthrie’s disappearance. Two were sent to news outlets in early February: one demanded millions in bitcoin, and one claimed she had died shortly after being taken.

The FBI requested that the contents of the second note - the one claiming her death - be kept from the public to protect the investigation. That request was honored. The note’s existence and its claim were not disclosed until June 22, 2026, nearly four months after it was sent.

On July 1, the FBI acknowledged receiving ‘several’ ransom notes over the course of the investigation. Some, it said, had been deemed ‘extortion attempts without legitimacy.’ Others ‘may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such.’

The Guilty Plea

Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, was arrested on February 5, 2026, days after contacting the Guthrie family while posing as a kidnapper. He sought bitcoin payment and, according to prosecutors, attempted to extract information about the ongoing investigation.

On July 2, Callella pleaded guilty to two federal counts of harassment by telecommunications device. A plea agreement calls for five years of probation. Sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2026.

‘His actions were meant to harass the family,’ the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Still Missing

Nancy Guthrie has been missing for five months. She is 84 years old, has a pacemaker, and requires daily medication.

A reward of $1.1 million remains available for information leading to her recovery. The masked individual seen on doorbell camera footage the night she disappeared has not been identified. No arrest has been made in connection with her actual abduction.

‘Five months of agony and unending trauma,’ Savannah Guthrie told reporters. Her mother has not been found.

References: Nancy Guthrie latest updates: Man admits sending fake ransom notes to Savannah Guthrie’s family | Some ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie case deemed fake, others still under investigation

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