A California husband has been arrested for the murder of his missing wife fifteen months after she disappeared.
On Wednesday, police charged Tyler McCain with the murder of mother of four, Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain.
Tyler's Motive was to Prevent Nikki from Testifying Against Him in Domestic Abuse Case
Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said, the defendant's motive had been to keep his wife from testifying against him for domestic abuse. Nikki's body has still not been found. Nikki vanished on May 17, 2024. She last spoke to her family on the same day before someone picked her up from a home in Redding, according to the Redding Police Department.
Nikki's truck was also reported missing, but was later located by police on May 25, 2024, in western Tehama County, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. Shasta County authorities later reclassified Nikki McCain's disappearance as a homicide.
Tyler was Arrested for Domestic Violence Incident Days Before Nikki Vanished, Charges were Dropped After Nikki Failed to Show Up to Testify
On March 25, 2025, the sheriff's office announced that they had identified "persons of interest" in Nikki's death. McCain had been arrested and charged on December 2, 2023, for false imprisonment, corporal injury to a spouse, assault with force, and criminal threats.
On May 7, 2024, he pleaded not guilty, and a little over a week later, Nikki vanished. The domestic violence charges were previously dropped when Nikki failed to show up to testify against him. According to reports, an "overwhelming" smell of decomposition was found by law enforcement in the trunk of Nikki's truck, along with a blood-soaked sheet.
An unidentified source allegedly was told by Tyler McCain that he killed his wife on May 18, 2024, during a domestic violence incident.
Tyler Pleaded For His Wife's Safe Return Months Before His Arrest
At a press conference in March 2025, months before his arrest, Tyler publicly pleaded for Nikki's safe return, telling reporters, "We miss you. I don't really know what to say... I apologize to everyone, especially my children. My wife's family, mine as well. I'm just here in support, so anything that I can do, I want to do that."
Tyler McCain is being held with no bail at the Shasta County Jail. Since Nikki McCain's body has not been found, the investigation remains open, and SCSO's reward of up to $30,000 still stands.
