Overview

• Shasta County deputies arrested Tyler McCain on Aug. 20 after securing a murder warrant and booked him into jail without bail.
• The district attorney plans to file a murder count with a special‑circumstance allegation of preventing testimony and to refile 2023 domestic violence charges, along with firearm and forgery counts.
• Nikki’s Chevy Avalanche was found on May 25, 2024, near Highway 36 with an overwhelming odor of decomposition and a blood‑stained sheet later confirmed as hers, while McCain’s DNA was the primary source on other vehicle items.
• Prosecutors say a confidential informant reported McCain admitted killing her after a domestic incident, and California law allows a murder case to proceed without a recovered body.
• Detectives executed a March 2025 search warrant with FBI and Homeland Security assistance, an April 2025 traffic stop yielded Nikki’s partially burned driver’s license, arraignment is scheduled for Friday, and a reward of up to $30,000 remains for tips.