Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement, volunteer teams, and tips pouring in, her whereabouts remain unknown more than five months later.

A man from California has admitted that he sent fake ransom notes in the case of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced on July 2 that Derrick Callella of Hawthorne, California, pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment using a telecommunication device.

Callella, who is 42 years old, admitted to calling and texting about sending bitcoin to Guthrie’s family on February 4. “Callella acknowledged that he knew an earlier ransom demand had been made. Callella also admitted that his actions were meant to harass the family by seeking information about the investigation into the missing person’s disappearance,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in its press release.

Callella could face two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, along with one year of being closely watched while he is free.

On September 10, he will be given his sentence.

This is the second major piece of information to break this week in the Guthrie case.

Federal investigators have determined that all three ransom notes linked to the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, are fake communications, according to an FBI official who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday.

The agency emphasized, “This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case.”

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31, 2026, after her daughter Savannah dropped her off at home following a family dinner. Surveillance footage captured an armed, masked figure tampering with her security camera before her disappearance.