At last, there’s been an arrest in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case — but not the kind many were hoping for.Federal authorities have taken a man into custody, though they say he’s not believed to be one of Nancy’s actual captors. Instead, investigators claim he sent text messages to her family referencing bitcoin payments.Facing two chargesA Southern California man has been taken into custody after authorities say he sent a fake ransom message to the family of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
Derrick Callella was arrested Feb. 5 in Hawthorne, California, a city just south of Los Angeles International Airport, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.Federal prosecutors say Callella is facing two charges: allegedly sending a message demanding ransom for the release of a kidnapped person, and placing a phone call without identifying himself “with the intent to abuse, threaten or harass.”According to TMZ, Callella allegedly sent a message to Nancy’s daughter, Annie, and her son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, that read: “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.”