Thirty-nine-year-old Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, from Redding, California, last communicated with her sisters on the evening of May 17, 2024.
She was reported missing on May 21, after no one had heard from her for several days.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is currently handling Nikki’s case. Public Information Officer Timothy Mapes provided their initial media release on Nikki’s case to Dateline last year. “The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing adult. 39-year-old Nikki Cheng McCain was last in contact with family members on May 17th, 2024,” it reads, in part. “Initially, this case was being investigated by the Redding Police Department; however, due to information suggesting Nikki was last seen in the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, the investigation has been taken over by the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit.”
Nikki had last told her sisters she was heading to her mother-in-law’s property on Redding Rancheria, a Native American reservation in Shasta County.
Redding Rancheria put out a press release on July 19, 2024, stating they had put up a large billboard along I-5 to help spread awareness about Nikki’s case.
Dateline first reported on Nikki’s disappearance in July 2024, as part of its Missing in America series.
Now, Nikki’s husband, Tyler McCain, has spoken out for the first time.
In a press conference on Monday, March 10, McCain told the media, “I’m just here in support, so anything that I can do, I want to do that.”
He also had a message for his wife, Nikki, saying, “We miss you.”
McCain also apologized for not speaking publicly, up to this point. “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.
According to Nikki’s sister Kaye, as well as court documents, Nikki had been scheduled to appear in court for a settlement conference on June 3, 2024 — which was shortly after she disappeared.
Her husband was facing four felony charges stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident against Nikki in December 2023. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On July 5, the charges against Tyler McCain were dismissed, prompting community outrage. Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett addressed those concerns in an interview posted on Facebook. “I hear the community’s pleas for answers and justice for Nikki Cheng McCain,” she said. “I share in those sentiments and frustrations.” Bridgett described the decision to drop the charges as difficult. However, “in the United States, everyone has a constitutional right to confront the witnesses against them,” she said. “That means the accuser — the victim — must be present in trial to testify against them. And we haven’t been able to locate her.” The dismissal, she said, “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 has still not been located and there have been very few clues in her disappearance.
Nikki’s sisters Chloe and Kaye spoke at the press conference, as well, stating, “Our mission is clear. We must bring Nikki home.”
Captain Chris Edwards, who oversees the Investigations Division of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office also addressed the media. “I want to let the public know that everything that’s being done to locate Nikki, is being done by our detectives,” he said. “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 is 4’11” and 110 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. There is a combined reward of up to $30,000 for information that leads to Nikki’s location.
If anyone has any information about Nikki’s case, please contact the Shasta County Major Crimes Unit at 530-245-6135 or by email at [email protected].