A California man, Derrick Callella, was arrested after sending fake Bitcoin ransom texts to the family of Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old woman who went missing from her Arizona home.
The messages appeared to demand cryptocurrency and briefly included a follow-up phone call, causing panic for the already distressed family. Authorities later traced the messages to Callella, who allegedly admitted he found the family’s contact information online and sent the texts after following media coverage of the case.
Investigators confirmed the messages were not linked to the actual kidnapping investigation, but were instead an opportunistic hoax. Callella was charged with transmitting false ransom demands across state lines and attempting to exploit a missing-person case.