1st Trial Date Set in Nancy Guthrie Case After Ransom Notes Led Officials to 1st Charge
A lot of things have come up in the Nancy Guthrie investigation, even if not many of those have had to do with what actually happened to Savannah Guthrie’s mom. We still don’t know who kidnapped her or why, nor do we have any real clue about what happened to her between the night of January 31 and the morning of February 1. But the investigation has moved forward in other respects. Case in point, the ransom notes.
When Guthrie disappeared, multiple ransom notes were sent to local stations and TMZ. Of those, police believe most were fake. In fact, during her interview on the Today show, Savannah Guthrie indicated her family believed two were probably real, the rest weren’t. And police have identified who is behind at least one of those hoax ransom notes.
Related: Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?
Derrick Callella, a Los Angeles-area resident, was arrested four days after the disappearance for texting the Guthrie family about Bitcoin. Now KGUN 9 in Tucson is reporting that a trial date has been set for the federal courthouse in Tucson on June 23.
“The grand jury indictment describes how he sent two text messages to two members of the Guthrie family on February fourth asking quote ‘Did you get the 12 bitcoin? We’re waiting on our end for the transaction,’” KGUN 9 said. “Investigators discovered Callella was acting as an imposter.”
“Callella has been charged via a criminal complaint filed in federal court for transmitting a demand for ransom in interstate commerce, and without disclosing his identity,” the FBI said in an official statement, “utilizing a telecommunications device with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass a person.”
“To those imposters who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation – we will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions,” FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke added.
All of this comes after reports that true answers in the investigation could still take a while. With the case now resting on forensic evidence, experts have warned it won’t be quick.
“In my experience, it usually takes months, but I am assuming they will make it a top priority since most of the other cases are generally cold cases so it may be much quicker,” CeCe Moore, one of the nation’s leading genetic genealogists, told Fox News Digital. “It also depends on a little luck because sometimes they have to make multiple attempts before they get the DNA.”
The Pima County Sheriff Department initially sent the DNA evidence recovered in the Guthrie house to a private lab they worked with, rather than the FBI. Eleven weeks later, the evidence has now been given to the FBI.
“FBI asked to test this DNA 2 months ago with the same technology we’ve always had — when the local sheriff instead sent it to a private lab,” said Ben Williamson, the bureau’s assistant director of public affairs. “Any further developments we will share as soon as appropriate.”
