TUCSON, Ariz. - Court documents are revealing new information surrounding a ransom note that was allegedly sent to the family of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie whose recent disappearance garnered national media attention.
The backstory:
Nancy, who is the mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on the night of Jan. 31 after being dropped off at her Catalina Foothills home near East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue. She was reported missing the next day after her family was notified that she hadn't shown up for church.
Authorities say Nancy is without her necessary medication.
Along with her siblings, Savannah released an emotional video plea on Wednesday night, calling for the safe return of their mother.
"We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media," Savannah said. "As a family, we are doing everything that we can. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her."
On Feb. 5, authorities gave a timeline for the case during a news conference.
What we know:
The suspect in what authorities call an "imposer ransom demand" was identified in the documents as Derrick Callella. He is accused of 2 federal charges related to the transmission of ransom and harassment via interstate communication.
Dig deeper:
Investigators say shortly after Guthrie's family released a video that asks Guthrie's kidnappers to contact them, members of Guthrie's family separately received a text message from a phone number with a California area code that reads:
"Did you get the bitcoin [we're] waiting on our end for the transaction"
Officials say they managed to discover that the phone number was associated with a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) application, and they eventually linked Callella to the number.
Investigators say when they questioned Callella, he admitted to sending the messages, and said that he pulled the family's information from a website, and had been following along and watching TV.
"When he said that he had sent text messages, he was trying to see if the family would respond," read a portion of the court documents. "The two text messages have not been linked to the February 2, 2026, ransom demand."
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from relevant court documents and previous FOX 10 news reports.