A 42-year-old man facing federal charges in connection with a bogus ransom demand sent to members of Nancy Guthrieβs family had his initial court appearance Thursday in Tucson.
Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, is accused of sending demands via two text messages sent to members of Nancy Guthrieβs family.
Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home Jan. 31.
On Feb. 4, Callella is suspected of sending demands via two text messages to the Guthrie family. He is also alleged to have made a nine-second phone call to a family member, the U.S. Attorneyβs Office in Arizona said in a news release.
Callella faces federal charges of transmitting an anonymous demand for ransom in interstate commerce and using a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass a person, the release said.
"Through the course of the investigation, it was found that Callella was acting as an imposter, trying to take advantage of the ongoing situation."
Nancy Guthrie, the mother of βTodayβ show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing by her family on Feb. 1.
The disappearance prompted a massive response by local and federal authorities. It has continued as the case nears its second week.
While the ransom demand allegedly made by Callella has been deemed bogus, investigators say a separate ransom continues to be investigated. A deadline to pay that ransom passed earlier this week.
