The disappearance of a 39-year-old mother who vanished from Redding, California in May is now being treated as a homicide.
For the last ten months, the family of Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, have been searching for answers but only now have Shasta County authorities confirmed they are investigating her case as murder.
Nikki was last heard from on May 17, 2024, when she reached out to her sisters, Chloe Saelee and Kaye Ford.
She told them she was heading to her mother-in-law’s property on Redding Rancheria, a Native American reservation tucked within the rolling hills of Shasta County.
It was the last time anyone in her family ever heard her voice.
After days of silence and failed attempts to reach her, Nikki was officially reported missing on May 21, setting off a search that has only deepened the mystery.
On May 25, police found her Chevrolet Avalanched abandoned in a remote location in Tehama County.
McCain disappeared from the same town that Sherri Papini famously staged her kidnapping in 2016, disappearing for three weeks before reappearing on Thanksgiving with a crazy tale.
Police in California say they are treating the disappearance of 39-year-old of Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain as a homicide. She vanished in May of last year
Almost one year since Nikki first vanished husband Tyler has now spoken publicly for the first time as he stood awkwardly before reporters in a press conference
Family members of Nikki together with her other sisters, far left, spoke at a press conference
Nikki’s case was initially handled by Redding Police but the case has now been handed over to the Major Crimes Unit with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
On July 19, 2024, Redding Rancheria erected a massive billboard along Interstate I-5 as a reminder that Nikki was still missing.
At the time of her disappearance her husband, Tyler McCain, was facing four felony charges tied to an alleged domestic violence incident against Nikki from December 2023. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
But following his wife’s vanishing, in a move that stunned her family, all the charges were dropped on July 5.
Addressing the outcry, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett admitted the decision to dismiss the charges was particularly difficult.
‘I hear the community’s pleas for answers and justice for Nikki Cheng McCain,’ Bridgett said in an interview. ‘I share in those sentiments and frustrations.
‘In the United States, everyone has a constitutional right to confront the witnesses against them. That means the accuser – the victim – must be present in trial to testify against them. And we haven’t been able to locate her,’ Bridgett added, explaining the dropping.
‘The dismissal preserves our ability to re-file the case once Nikki is located or sufficient evidence is obtained to utilize her statements in her absence.’
Nikki’s husband faced domestic violence charges after he allegedly severally injured his wife in a three-hour attack in December 2023
On May 25, police found her Chevrolet Avalanche abandoned in a remote location in Tehama County
Normally, when McCain (right, with her one of her sisters) would leave for a few days after a fight, Tyler would contact her sisters and tell them to: ‘Tell her I love her. Tell her I’m sorry,’ but this time he didn’t. Instead, he texted: ‘I think she’s missing. I don’t know I think she’s missing.’
Almost one year since Nikki first vanished husband Tyler has now spoken publicly for the first time as he stood awkwardly before reporters in a press conference.
‘I’m just here in support, so anything that I can do, I want to do that,’ McCain said quietly as he looked down at the lectern he was standing behind.
He offered a direct message to his missing wife: ‘We miss you.’
Tyler addressed the public scrutiny surrounding his absence from media appeals until now.
‘I haven’t been in the public eye, and I haven’t done very well with it. I apologize to everyone, especially my children,’ he said.
Nikki’s sisters stood alongside Tyler at the same press conference.
‘We just want to start off by saying thank you for being here today to hear about our missing sister, Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, who has been missing for 296 days,’ Kaye began.
‘We have spent each of those days in agony, longing for her safe return to her family and her children.
‘Our mission is clear. We must bring Nikki home,’ the sisters stressed.
Nikki (pictured with her husband) was last spotted visiting one of her husband Tyler McCain’s family members at a hospital. The family had initially believed Tyler may have had something to do with disappearance, but police have never named him as a suspect
Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, 39, of Redding, California, was reported missing by her sister on May 21, 2024 after she hadn’t been able to contact her for four days
At the time of her disappearance her husband, Tyler McCain, was facing four felony charges tied to an alleged domestic violence incident against Nikki from December 2023. He pleaded not guilty to all charges but they were later dropped following his wife’s disappearance
‘We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has helped in the search for our sister – to the volunteers, law enforcement, media, private investigators, and individuals who have dedicated their time and resources to searching for her,’ Chloe said.
‘To every single person who has shared her story, kept an eye out, and offered support – thank you. Your kindness and determination mean the world to our family during this incredibly difficult time.’
The sisters addressed a message to Nikki directly:
‘Nikki, you are missed every single day. Your absence leaves a void that can’t be filled. We want to bring you home. You are loved beyond measure, and we will keep searching for you until you’re back in our arms.
‘Your kids need you. We need you. And we want you to know – this is not your fault. No matter how tired we are, we will keep fighting. We will not rest until she is found.’
Captain Chris Edwards, head of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Investigations Division, appealed directly to the public:
‘I want to let the public know that everything that’s being done to locate Nikki, is being done by our detectives. And if there’s anybody out in the public that has any information, I encourage them to do the right thing and give us a call.’
Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain was a petite woman standing 4’11’ and weighing 110 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Nikki was last heard from on May 17, 2024, when she reached out to her sisters, Chloe Saelee, pictured, and Kaye Ford
Nikki was a mother to a young daughter
She is described by her family as a loving sister, a devoted mother, and a woman with dreams and plans that were suddenly, violently interrupted.
There is now a combined reward of up to $30,000 for any information leading to her being found.
At one point Nikki’s sisters believed Tyler might have something to do with her vanishing after there was a sudden change in his text messages.
Normally, when Nikki would leave for a few days after a fight, Tyler would contact her sisters and tell them to: ‘Tell her I love her. Tell her I’m sorry,’ but this time he didn’t, they explained.
Instead, he texted: ‘I think she’s missing. I don’t know I think she’s missing.’
‘So his response was different than normal, and that was definitely a factor for us in starting to worry,’ Kaye Ford, McCain’s sister said last year.
‘I feel like Nikki may not be here anymore,’ sister Chloe Saelee said. ‘She wouldn’t just walk off and leave. She was so excited for a fresh start and she was taking all these steps and planning for her and her kids’ futures.
‘Nikki didn’t deserve this. And while it may be too late to turn back time, it’s not too late to do the right thing,’ she continued. ‘We are all hurting right now, but her children deserve to know the truth and her children deserve to see whoever did this to her is behind bars and won’t be able to hurt them or anyone else.’
Tyler allegedly bound his wife with tape, tried to wrap something around her throat, pulled her hair, and told her he ‘intended to kill her,’ police documents stated.
When asked who did this to her, she told them Tyler had. He told police he thought she had been in a fight with another woman and that she was having an affair with a woman.
Normally, when Nikki would leave for a few days after a fight, Tyler would contact her sisters
Nikki is pictured alongside her two sisters with whom she was extremely close to
The entirely family are praying for Nikki’s safe return
A $30,000 reward has been put up for information that leads to finding Nikki
Police had been called to their home on various occasions, which eventually resulted in their children becoming wards of the state.
Despite her sisters’ constant pleas, McCain never left her toxic husband because she ‘never wanted to be the bad guy’ and didn’t want to ‘be the reason her family broke apart.’
Several times they helped her start working with a facility for women, but she never fully got through the process as she would ‘go back’ to Tyler.
It always worried me because she never wanted to make police reports when these things happened,’ Saelee told The US Sun.
‘It worried me every time she returned home. I told her, ‘I’m starting to see a pattern here, and I think it’s a cycle.
‘We were all very worried for her, but she kept deciding to go back.’
