Nancy Guthrie disappearance prompts graves search in Mexico and guilty plea for fake ransom note

Volunteers from the Mexican group Buscando Corazones Nogales excavated dozens of unmarked graves in Sonora's Mariposa area while responding to a tip that the missing Tucson mother, Nancy Guthrie, might be buried there. By June 11 the team had identified 25 new sites, adding to earlier discoveries of 32 remains, but none have been linked to Guthrie's case. The search continues amid cross‑border coordination between U.S. and Mexican authorities, with forensic analysis pending.

On July 2, a California man, Derrick Callella, pleaded guilty in federal court to transmitting a fake ransom demand in connection with Guthrie’s abduction. He used a VOIP line to send texts falsely claiming a Bitcoin payment was awaited. The FBI has confirmed that all ransom notes received are fraudulent. Callella faces 10 years of probation and a September sentencing, while the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department maintain that the investigation remains active and DNA evidence is still being examined.