The message arrived without warning, and it read like a nightmare. What followed was a digital trail that led straight to a man watching the tragedy unfold on TV.According to court documents, Derrick Callella, a California man in his mid-40s, was arrested after allegedly sending ransom-style messages to members of the Guthrie family. The messages referenced bitcoin and came as the family was desperately searching for answers.At first, the texts looked like they could be part of something far darker. However, federal prosecutors now say they weren’t, but the timing made them no less disturbing…Derrick allegedly contacted Annie Guthrie and her husband, Tommaso Cioni, relatives of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. The texts reportedly arrived just after the family made an emotional public plea.

The message itself was brief and chilling. “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction,” the text allegedly read.Only minutes later, investigators say that Derrick placed a nine-second phone call to another member of the Guthrie family. Court records do not identify which relative received the call.The family quickly reported the communications to the police. From there, investigators traced the number back to Derrick’s residence in California.What authorities say happened next surprised even seasoned investigators… At his home, Derrick allegedly admitted he had been following the case closely on television.