Nancy Guthrie Update: Trial Date Set for Fake Ransom Note Writer

Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie‘s mom, Nancy Guthrie, 84, is still missing after her February 1 abduction in Tucson, Arizona. And recently, a trial date was set for an alleged fake ransom note writer.

On April 23, ABC affiliate station KGUN 9 in Tucson reported that a trial date for Derrick Callella, 42, of Hawthorne, California, was scheduled for June 23 following his arrest. It will be held at the federal courthouse in Tucson.

Callella’s charges are related to ransom notes sent to the Guthrie family and not those shared by TMZ. According to a grand jury indictment, he allegedly sent two text messages to two family members on February 4. They read: “Did you get the 12 bitcoin? We’re waiting on our end for the transaction.”

On February 5, Callella was arrested and charged with transmitting a ransom demand in interstate commerce without revealing his identity and using a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass an individual.

“The Department of Justice will protect victims and families at all costs, and grief profiteers will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine in a February news release. “This case came together in under 24 hours because of the coordinated work of the FBI, local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.”