Calif. Mom’s Husband Pleaded for Her Safe Return — Now He’s Charged 15 Months After She Vanished By Christina Coulter

More than 15 months after mother-of-four Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain vanished, 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, the release said.

“Since the start of this investigation, detectives have worked tirelessly to locate Nikki and to determine the events leading to her disappearance. Detectives have served numerous search warrants, conducted numerous searches, interviewed family members, friends, and acquaintances of Nikki to no avail in locating her,” the office wrote in the release. “Based on the evidence gathered, information learned from interviews and the fact that none of Nikki’s family members have heard from Nikki since her disappearance, detectives have determined she is a victim of Homicide.”

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.

He is also charged with forgery, illegal firearm possession, and domestic violence counts from December 2023 that were previously dismissed but have now been refiled.

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,” according to KRCR-TV.

More than a year later, authorities allege he is responsible for her death.

While the sheriff’s office did not release details about the prior criminal case, reporting from KRCR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and KPTV shows that Tyler was charged with felony domestic violence in December 2023 after Nikki accused him of restraining and attacking her during an hours-long assault.

He 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.

Anyone with tips is urged to contact the sheriff’s office’s Major Crimes Unit by emailing [email protected] or calling (530) 245-6135.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.