Overview

• Tyler McCain was booked into Shasta County Jail without bail, with arraignment set for Friday.
• Investigators cite a Chevy Avalanche found near the Shasta–Tehama county line with a strong odor of decomposition and a blood-stained sheet that tested as Nikki’s DNA.
• Prosecutors say additional DNA from the truck tied McCain to non-blood items, and a confidential report described him admitting to killing her after a domestic-violence incident.
• Detectives reclassified the case as a homicide after a March search with FBI and Homeland Security, and an April traffic stop turned up Nikki’s partially burned driver’s license in McCain’s wallet.
• Authorities will seek the special-circumstance allegation and refile 2023 domestic-violence charges as the search for Nikki continues, with a reward of up to $30,000.