Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain

Husband arrested in connection with California mother’s disappearance.

• Nikki Saelee-McCain, 39, vanished in May 2024 after texting family members she was “heading home” — her husband, Tyler McCain, has now been arrested on suspicion of her murder
• McCain previously faced felony domestic violence charges in 2023; the case was dismissed in July 2024 when Nikki disappeared and couldn’t testify, per KRCR, KPTV, and the SF Chronicle
• Prosecutors allege he killed Nikki to prevent her from testifying in the domestic violence case

More than 15 months after Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain disappeared, authorities have arrested her husband, Tyler McCain, on charges of murder, according to a Shasta County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Nikki, 33, was last seen on May 17, 2024, and her family last heard from her shortly after midnight on May 18, when she texted that she was returning a car to her mother-in-law’s home after visiting a Redding hospital earlier that night.

According to the sheriff’s office, Nikki was last seen at her home in Anderson on May 18, where she lived with Tyler. On May 24, 2024, detectives from the department’s Major Crimes Unit took over the case and served a search warrant at the residence, seizing several items of evidentiary value.

On May 25, 2024, a citizen discovered Nikki’s Chevy Avalanche abandoned off Highway 36 near Beegum Gorge Bridge, close to the Shasta–Tehama county line, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators processed the vehicle and recovered physical evidence consistent with foul play, though Nikki was not located.

After months of searches, interviews, and multiple warrants, detectives reclassified the case as a homicide investigation in March 2025.

On Wednesday, Aug. 20, 39-year-old Tyler was arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail, where he is being held without bail, according to the sheriff’s office. He is charged with special circumstance murder under California Penal Code §190.2, which prosecutors allege applies because he killed Nikki to prevent her from testifying in a pending criminal case against him, the release said.

Tyler is also charged with forgery, illegal firearm possession, and domestic violence counts from December 2023 that were previously dismissed but have now been refiled.   Tyler had pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed in July 2024 when Nikki disappeared and could not testify.

Authorities announced Tyler’s arrest during a joint press conference with the Shasta

County District Attorney’s Office and thanked state and federal partners, including the FBI, California Department of Justice, and California Highway Patrol Investigative Services Unit, for assisting in the investigation. A $30,000 reward remains available for information leading to Nikki’s location.