Derrick Callella, an old man who lived in South Los Angeles, California, at the age of 42, years age has been arrested on 5 February 2026 for sending a ransom text to the Gucci family. The Nancy Guthrie case, where an 84-year-old lady was kidnapped. Being the mother of a famous personality, the case got high-profile attention, and all the facts and figures are available on social media.
Arizona's Federal authorities filed charges against direct but the focus of these actions is not related to the actual disappearance of Nancy Guthrie on 1st February 2026 in Tucson. This development shows that the exploitation attempts are continuously going on among the missing persons case which are high lighting.
Callella have to face two charges on the federal level, transmission of demands for when some throughout a state line in exchange for the release on person kidnapped and making phone calls anonymously with the intention to harass, abuse or threaten.
On 4 February 2026, after releasing a public appeal video by the gathering siblings, Callella sent a text to the other text to them through a VoIP app, which is our voice over internet and requires payments in Bitcoin. Nancy Guthrie’s family attended a call by him that contains the duration of 9 seconds.
The special agent of the FBI carries Witherspoon also complaint the notes against cellular, where he confesses the warnings of postmarenda and admitted that he was contacting the family with the help of a cyber website that was also covered on TV and send message to check out the response of the family.
According to the trace of investigators, the virtual numbers of phones are also emailed with the full name of Callella and with the IP address of his residence. He was the representative of a group and decent without any misery and declined the comment immediately.
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home on 1 February, which is induction and it initiated a massive search led by the FBI with a reward of 50,000 dollars for any information regarding the arrest or recovery.
Chris Nanos from the Pima County Sheriff's Office also granted his statement during the briefings of 5 February that no person or suspect has been found regarding her disappearance, and the action of cellular completely separated from the Bitcoin ransom demands made by him on 2 February. The special agents of the FBI Phoenix also warned in these words, “Impostors trying to exploit this situation for gain will face consequences.”
According to the social media data, the video of the Guthrie siblings is viewed broadly and also gives a great opportunity to Callella. The authorities also got tips through online or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
According to the limited records of public identification callella is easily found out, and he is a former employee of Los Angeles County. By knowing his details, it is found that he has a significant connection to the case. According to the reports of the FBI, it is noted that there is 25% increase in demands for hoax ransom during publicised cases of kidnapping from 2023. Even in the new year of 2026, the US has to face an increase in kidnapping cases, about 15% per state of preliminary justice departments, which are also fueled by amplifications on social media.
| Aspect | Statistics |
|---|---|
| Hoax Ransom Demands (2023-2025) | +25% increase |
| 2026 U.S. Cases (YTD) | +15% |
| Guthrie Reward | $50,000 |
| Texts Sent | 2 (Feb 4) |
| Follow-up Call | 9 seconds |
After the arrest of Callella within 24 hours, the procedures of FBI digital forensics have conducted with IP trails, email and VoIP efficiently. It also determines the copycats, but a critical condition for the family. 23 family is described in this scenario as a devastating situation in their case.
The thread of exploitation has been resolved because of the arrest of Derrick Callella. However, the search for Nancy Guthrie is still continuing on an urgent basis, but it has not made any breakthrough in her location. This incident also increases the stress against the multiple online opportunities in the crisis, as the authorities are given priority over the leading people; however, public tips are significant in this closure.
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