Two California teenagers are facing felony charges in Scottsdale after police said they posed as delivery drivers, forced their way into a home, and searched for access to what they believed was $66 million in cryptocurrency on the same night 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson residence, with blood later found on her porch and a suspected ransom note emerging, but investigators have not publicly linked the cases.
The home invasion happened in Scottsdale, in central Arizona, while the suspected abduction of Guthrie, mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, unfolded roughly two hours away in Tucson. Authorities in both jurisdictions have described serious, ongoing investigations, yet they have stopped short of drawing any formal connection between the crypto-focused break-in and the missing-person case that has drawn national attention.
Alleged Delivery Ruse and $66 Million Crypto Target
According to reporting by Fox News, Scottsdale police officers responded to a 911 call on January 31st, 2026, from a home where an adult son said intruders were inside with his parents. Court documents cited by the outlet state that two teenagers from California, both under 18, allegedly dressed as delivery workers to gain the homeowners’ trust before forcing their way inside.
Once inside, the teens allegedly duct-taped and assaulted two adults living in the home. Investigators said one victim denied having cryptocurrency when confronted. The son, in another room, was able to call the police. When officers arrived, the teenagers ran from the house but were arrested after a brief attempt to flee, according to the same reporting.
In court filings, investigators outline what they describe as an elaborate but poorly executed plan centered on digital wealth. The teens allegedly told authorities they believed there was $66 million in cryptocurrency tied to the address. It is not clear from public reporting whether that figure reflects any confirmed account, an inflated claim by others involved, or misinformation passed to the suspects.
Teen Suspects, Unnamed Extortionists, and a 3D-Printed Gun
Fox News, summarizing court documents, reported that the two teenagers said they had met only recently and were being extorted by two individuals known to them only as “Red” and “8.” The documents allege that these unidentified people directed the teens from California to Arizona and provided $1,000 for supplies, including disguises, restraints, and burglary tools.
Authorities have not publicly identified Red and 8, described only by nicknames, nor have they announced any arrests of additional suspects. Without further filings or charging documents, what role those figures played, and whether their alleged instructions can be independently verified, remains an open question.
During the arrest, investigators recovered what they described as a 3D-printed firearm. According to police statements reported by Fox News, the weapon had no ammunition, and officers said its functionality was unknown. That detail underscores a recurring challenge for investigators, who increasingly encounter homemade or partially functional weapons alongside more traditional firearms in serious felony cases.
Both teens face multiple felony counts, including burglary, aggravated assault, and kidnapping. Whether additional charges will be filed, or whether prosecutors will seek adult prosecution for either teenager has not been addressed in the publicly reported documents cited so far.
A Mother’s Warning Texts and a Missed Alert
The alleged plot came into sharper focus after one suspect’s mother in California contacted local law enforcement. Court documents, as described by Fox News, state that she reported text messages on her son’s phone discussing a plan to put on a delivery uniform and carry out a burglary at a specific address in Scottsdale.
California authorities then notified the Scottsdale Police Department about the potential crime. According to Fox News, Scottsdale police received that tip only after officers had already responded to the actual home invasion on January 31st, 2026. That sequence raises procedural questions about the time lag between the initial report in California and the information reaching Arizona officers, although there is no indication in public reporting that agencies violated any specific protocol.
The missed opportunity, if confirmed, illustrates a recurring difficulty in multi-state cases. When possible crimes cross jurisdictions, investigators must piece together information from multiple agencies and communication systems, sometimes in a matter of hours, to prevent violence rather than reconstructing it after the fact.
Nancy Guthrie’s Disappearance and Cryptocurrency Ransom Demands
Roughly 120 miles to the south, in Tucson, Pima County deputies were working a different crime scene. According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, as cited by Fox News, Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home at about 9:30 p.m. on January 31st, 2026. Family members reported her missing when they could not reach her, and investigators later said they believed she had been abducted.
Authorities reported finding blood on Guthrie’s porch, a discovery that moved the case from a welfare check to a suspected violent crime. Investigators have not publicly described any signs of forced entry or detailed what, if anything, was taken from the home.
TMZ reported receiving what it described as a possible ransom note related to Guthrie, demanding that millions of dollars in cryptocurrency be transferred to a specific bitcoin address. According to the outlet, the letter included two deadlines, and the second was described on air as “much more serious.” The note, TMZ said, carried an “element of ‘or else’.”
On the program TMZ Live, hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere told viewers that the note’s demands changed with each deadline, and that something was “triggered” at each time limit. The Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed the time of the first deadline, according to Fox News, though officials have not disclosed what, if anything, occurred when that time passed.
In a video message recorded before the first deadline, Guthrie’s family pleaded with whoever might be holding her to communicate and to ensure her safe return. That public appeal, which spread quickly on television and social media, also appears in later charging documents in a separate federal case.
Separate Federal Case Against California Man
While investigators searched for Guthrie and evaluated the letter TMZ received, a separate criminal case emerged in California. According to Fox News, federal prosecutors charged 42-year-old Derrick Callella of Hawthorne, a city in the Los Angeles area, with transmitting a ransom demand related to a kidnapped person and sending anonymous interstate communications intended to harass or threaten.
A criminal complaint summarized by Fox News alleges that a Tucson television station received a ransom demand through its online tip portal, requesting payment in bitcoin. After Guthrie’s family released their public plea video, her daughter and son-in-law each received follow-up text messages seeking confirmation of payment, according to the complaint.
Investigators traced those messages to an email account allegedly controlled by Callella, and records from internet service providers showed that the messages were sent from his residence, according to the same filings. Authorities said Callella admitted sending the texts and calling Guthrie’s relatives. On that basis, investigators obtained a warrant and arrested him.
Notably, the earlier ransom communication to the television station has not been directly linked, in court documents, to the physical letter received by TMZ. At this stage, according to Fox News, federal filings treat the communications tied to Callella as a distinct matter, focused on alleged extortionate contact with the family rather than on the original disappearance itself.
Unanswered Questions on Any Link Between the Cases
The Scottsdale home invasion and Guthrie disappearance share several surface similarities. Both involve demands for large amounts of cryptocurrency, cross at least two states, and unfolded on the same date. In Scottsdale, teenagers said they were acting under pressure from figures known only as Red and 8. In the Guthrie case, investigators are sorting through multiple ransom-style communications, not all of which appear to come from the same source.
.@FBIPhoenix @KashPatel @BrianEntin Regarding Nancy Guthrie: Please see this re a crypto related home invasion in Scottsdale 5 days ago. https://t.co/X8ZCKLx5DH pic.twitter.com/GEJnTKw5eo
— Teri (@WomenInTheBurbs) February 5, 2026
However, law enforcement officials have not publicly said that the two cases are related. According to Fox News, both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Scottsdale Police Department have declined to confirm any investigative link between the teen suspects, the still-unidentified Red and 8, Callella, and whoever may have abducted Guthrie.
Without search warrants, affidavits, or indictments explicitly tying the investigations together, the suggestion of a shared criminal network remains unproven. It is not yet clear whether the $66 million figure used in the Scottsdale case was based on any real account data or whether those numbers mirror the amounts mentioned in the ransom demands in Guthrie’s case.
Several core questions remain unresolved. Investigators have not identified who, if anyone, stood behind the names Red and 8, who authored the letter sent to TMZ, or whether any of those individuals had access to Guthrie or her family. The ultimate fate of Nancy Guthrie, the full scope of the alleged crypto-targeting plot in Scottsdale, and any potential overlap between the two investigations remain open issues for courts and investigators to answer in the months ahead.
