Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - SHOCK: HUBBY'S BRUTAL ASSAULT CHARGES DROPPED, MOM'S CHEVY ON REMOTE ROAD: WHERE'S NIKKI?

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

Nikki Saelee-McCain last contacts her family with a text message just after midnight. She texts with her sister, letting her know that she was driving her mother-in-law’s vehicle back to the McCain home near the Win-River Casino. Later that morning, when Saelee-McCain's family texts her again, she did not respond. It's been more than a month now since anyone has seen or heard from Nikki. Her truck, however, was found abandoned in another county.  Tyler McCain pleaded Not Guilty to a Domestic Violence charge for allegedly beating and torturing his wife for over three hours.  When Nikki didn't show up to court for the domestic violence charges against Tyler McCain, Superior Court Judge Daniel Flyn dismissed the domestic violence-related charges. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Chloe Saelee - sister  Kaye Ford -  sister   Tad DiBiase  - Former Assistant United States Attorney in D.C., Author: "No-Body Homicide Cases: A Practical Guide to Investigating, Prosecuting, and Winning Cases When the Victim Is Missing", www.nobodymurdercases.com, X: @thenobodyguy Brian Fitzgibbons  - Director of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security,  uspasecurity.com, Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security Alexis Tereszcuk - Crime Online investigative reporter  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. After the husband's brutal attack charges were dropped, mom's Chevy is found abandoned on a remote country road. Where is Nikki? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.

You know, at first I was like, okay, maybe she's still sleeping. And so I was thinking maybe her phone maybe was just dead. So I didn't immediately panic just yet. By Tuesday, I'm like, wait a second. Have you guys heard from Nikki? We have not seen her. And so this is when we're really starting to panic. That's when we kind of start to panic and kind of get worried about where she might be.

Because my mom's like, oh, no, I haven't seen her. Where is missing mom Nikki? Joining us, an all-star panel to make sense of what we are learning since Nikki disappears. First, straight out to her sisters, Chloe Saley and Kay Ford. Chloe, tell me your recollection of when you realized something was horribly wrong. Starting Tuesday was when I started realizing that we haven't heard from her and that wasn't very likely of her. What about it, Kay? Yeah, I mean, by that point,

even though we don't see each other on a daily basis, we do have consistent communication. And there have been a few messages that if she was not able to reply to immediately, she would have replied to within a day or two. And at that point, it had been way too long without a response joining me uh tad debias out of dc former assistant u.s attorney

and author of nobody homicide cases a practical guide to investigating prosecuting and winning cases when the victim is missing and And you can find him at nobody, nobody, murder cases dot com. Ted, thanks so much for being with us. Limited and narrow question right now. Sure. The sisters realize immediately something is wrong when Nikki is not responding as she normally would have to text messages. And more and more, we find that that is the beginning of a timeline. And let me refer you, Tad, in case you know very well, of Gabby Petito. Her family waved goodbye as Gabby goes on a cross-country trip with fiance Brian Laundrie. But on their way back, or so they think, they began getting odd texts from Gabby.

And they knew the texts were odd because Gabby referred to her grandfather by his name. For instance, if I was going to text my mom about my dad instead of saying, hey, where's daddy? What if I said, where's Walter Malcolm Gray, Sr.? That's a dead giveaway. Something is wrong. That's happening more and more, Tad. Absolutely. And Nancy, the reason that's really important is it enables investigators to put an exact time on when something may have happened.

In the past, when we didn't have these electronic communications and texting, it made it much more difficult for investigators to put that tick tock that exact time on when something happened. So in this case, we know almost to the hour when we suspect something happened to Nikki. And, you know, to Ryan Fitzgibbons also joining us, Director Operations, USPA, Nationwide Security, leading a team of investigators who specialize in finding missing people. Brian, a criminal timeline is, in my mind, one of the most important building blocks of a criminal investigation. And that timeline could start in any number of ways. For instance, here's a great refresher.

OJ Simpson murdered Nicole Brown. And many people believe the timeline started when Nicole's dog started wailing the dog Akita outside the home. They had never heard that before. And many people believe that is where the timeline started. Yeah. And in this case, Nancy, we can start the timeline around 1235 at night on May 17th when that last text message exchange was received between Nikki and her sisters. So, you know, there's a pretty definitive point there of when her last communication with her family was. Straight back to Chloe and Kay, Nikki's sisters.

You know, we keep hearing that there are no new developments in Nikki's disappearance. I disagree for number one. Correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't it true a woman has moved in with Nikki's husband? Yes, that's correct. Yeah, we have seen and heard that there is a woman living there and it's likely his girlfriend. Okay. I hate to keep using the same example, but Scott Peterson is good for so many criminal examples. Joining me, investigative reporter with CrimeOnline.com, Alexis Tereszczuk. Do you remember when Lacey Peterson went missing? It was no time at all that had passed when Scott

Peterson, her killer, her husband, had ordered the porn channel, tried to sell her car, and tried to sell the home, furniture included. Let's just say he did not expect her to walk through the front door. Not at all. He did everything that he wanted to do with her just being gone because he didn't think she was coming back. And so this, Nikki's husband,

not even a year after she's gone missing, already has a woman living with him. And this is almost a year to the day from when he was arrested for domestic violence for attacking her right before the holidays, right before Christmas in December of last year was when he was arrested for assaulting her. I mean, to Dr. John Delatore joining us, renowned psychologist, got a question for you. Your expertise is forensic psychology, right, Delatore? Yes. Okay. You recall the name Tex McIver, the silk stocking lawyer in a huge national law firm based, he was based in Atlanta when he still

practiced law. His wife was shot by him, he claims, accidentally. And he immediately had a giant, basically a yard sale in a fancy boutique and silent store in Atlanta, where I believe he made nearly $300,000 ish of furs and jewelry and stiletto heels. She, Diane McIver, was a corporate boss herself of Carrie Lumos. So she had all of these beautiful, fancy clothing and jewelry that she would wear to events. Oh, it took him no time at all. And he put all of her stuff up for sale consignment. Hello? Yeah, no. For cases similar to this, we have to understand that the person never really cared about their partner. They always believed that the partner was getting in their way, that they were some kind of obstacle that they needed to get rid of. That level of animosity rises to the point of violence, similar to this case,

that even though the case was dismissed and it was dismissed for a different reason than it didn't happen. Of course, in this case, no one has been charged with murder, manslaughter, nothing. The husband was charged with a brutal assault on Nikki prior to her disappearing, prior to her Chevy being found abandoned on a remote country road. Those charges were dropped, probably to add to bias because Nikki didn't show up in court to testify. But those charges have been dropped and he has not been named a suspect in this case. Tad, what about it? So that probably likely is the reason why the charges were dropped, because as you know, Nancy, being a former prosecutor, when you don't have the victim

in a domestic violence case, it doesn't mean the case can't be prosecuted, but it means you've got to go through other means other than having the victim's testimony. Maybe you have an officer who saw injuries. Maybe you have statements made by Nikki that can come in, even though she's not there, some type of excited utterance, a statement to a medical professional. It just becomes more difficult to make that case without the victim. And depending on the evidence, it may be able to be done, but that's what the prosecutor is going to have to determine. And to date, it appears they determined that they could not go forward

with the case. So they dropped it so that they reserved the right to bring the case back later. Of course, a case of assault can be made without the victim testifying, but it's much more difficult. Brian Fitzgibbon's Director of Operations, USPA Nationwide Security. Do I have to say the name Drew Peterson? It's like eating dirt. The former police officer who, no doubt in my mind, murdered wife number four, Stacey Peterson. Her body has never, oh my goodness, what is there, a 30-year age gap? Let's just start with that. But that said, her body has never been found, although I think I know where it is, Drew Peterson gave away Stacy's furs, her fur coats, and lingerie and bikinis to another woman. So obviously, Brian, he did not expect her to come in to put on her coat, right? He knew she wasn't coming home. Oh, exactly, Nancy. And you can see Tyler McCain's behavior. He's been videoed in and out of courtrooms

in Shasta County with a very similar demeanor. So, you know, this does echo the Drew Peterson case quite a bit. Dr. John Delatore joining me, a renowned psychologist for music psychologist. Dr. Delatore, as in the case of Drew Peterson giving away Stacey's bikinis, her lingerie. Who would want the used lingerie of a woman missing? That's a whole nother can of worms. But he knew Stacey wasn't coming home. And can I just add

the name Kathleen Savio? That was former cop Drew Peterson's third wife found dead in a bone-dry bathtub, but it was just chalked off that she slipped in the tub. Okay, because the tub was completely dry and her body was not even remotely moist at all. Her hair was dry. Everything about her was dry. She was covered in bruises, but yet she slipped. She was later exhumed, Delatore, and the case was proven that he killed her. That's why he's in jail, not because fourth wife, Stacey Peterson, is still missing. That said, Dr. Delatore, what idiot wouldn't wait to sell the clothing or or remarry or just get the porn channel for Pete's sake. Do you know what kind of H-E-L-L would break loose if I came home from this studio and I found the

porn channel on our direct TV? Oh, no, that would I would change the locks and I wouldn't even call a divorce lawyer. It would be a DIY. I would do it myself. Deletory. Yeah. No, you would anticipate that these guys, you know, the individuals who are engaging in these kinds of offending behaviors would be more sort of criminalistic. Right. That they would understand. Listen, you also have to fight the court of public opinion. But the reality is, is that they can't. They're so impulsive that the moment that they engage in the crime that so-called let them free, then they want all the freedom again. They want to do everything that they wanted to do because the weight of being in a relationship is no longer around. They're only interested in what gives them pleasure. They're not interested in what it them pleasure. They're not interested

in what it makes them look like, or they don't even care about attempting to find their partner. None of that stuff matters because they're just going to do what they can do to make themselves feel good. Dr. Delatore, I only have a JD, but I could have said everything that you just said. I'm looking to you for clinical names. What kind of behavior is this? I mean, I can guess at narcissistic where you, which is after the mythological character Narcissus, who was so in love with himself, he's looking into a pond, staring at his own reflection and fell in and died, I think is how that goes. I can armchair quarterback that and say that all of the guys we've named from Tex McIver to Drew Peterson to Scott Peterson, no relation, were all narcissists. I get that.

But it's a whole other level where you commit acts that could implicate you in a murder. Yeah. And I you there is no diagnosis that is there that would compel someone to engage in a violent act that doesn't exist. However, a person's personality and decision making can be to the point that they believe that they can have power and control over anyone in their lives. And they will find people to subjugate and to ridicule and to embarrass, and they will engage in these behaviors in order to make themselves feel good. But the reality is, is that the person wanted something. They wanted to have some kind of freedom. And they believe that being in a relationship meant that they could not have that freedom. And they were angry and they decided to

take it out on these people. I mean, Nikki's one of hundreds of thousands of people, all different kinds of women that are out there suffering in silence because people are not talking about domestic violence and intimate partner violence and understanding how these things happen and the difficulty with which the women find themselves and being able to extricate themselves from these relationships. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Again, the husband of Nikki Chain is not a suspect. Let me be clear. He has not been named a suspect in Nikki's disappearance. He is innocent until he is charged and taken to court if that day should ever come, and proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. However, it's SOP, standard operating procedure, when a woman goes missing,

or when a man goes missing for that matter, when a woman is killed, or a man is killed for that matter, the first place you look is the husband or wife, the lover, the ex-lover, the ex-boyfriend, all the way back to the middle school boyfriend, for Pete's sake, that has been lovelorn and pining all these years. I mean, to you, Ted Tobias, joining us, author of No Body Homicide Cases, that's where you start a criminal investigation. Why? There doesn't have to be any proof. It's statistics. Statistically, it's those closest to the missing or murdered victim. That's typically where the fault lies, but not always. That's absolutely right, though, Nancy. What you're talking about is statistically in no body murder cases, you have something like 54 percent are domestically related,

husband and wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, ex-husband, ex-wife, parent, child. That is the majority of these types of murders, which we don't know that we have that here, of course, because Nikki is still missing. But it certainly seems after seven months that that may be, unfortunately, where we might be headed. And, of course, in that investigation, you're going to start with the husband. The sisters of Nikki Chang, Salia McCain, say what tipped them off about their sister's suspicious disappearance were the messages they got from her husband, Tyler McCain. Previously, when Nikki would leave after a fight with her husband, Tyler McCain. Previously, when Nikki would leave after a fight with Tyler McCain, Tyler would contact her sisters, telling him to pass

along messages to Nikki. Tell her I love her. Tell her I'm sorry. But this time he didn't. This time when he texted the sisters, he texted, I think she's missing. I don't know. I think she's missing. Talking to the Sun US, Nikki's sister, Kay sister Kay Ford says so his response was different than normal. And that was definitely a factor for us in starting to worry. I think she was afraid. So she wanted to be, I'm your older sister and I'm okay. And she didn't want to scare me. We didn't know to which degree it had escalated.

The incident in December was definitely an eye opener for us. But she was so terrified. Where is Nikki Chang? Joining me in addition to an all-star panel to analyze what we know so far, her two sisters, Chloe and Kay. But listen to this. Family and friends of Nikki Chang, Saylee Lee McCain continue to show their support for the missing mother of four. Whenever her husband, Tyler McCain, shows up for a court appearance, a crowd gathers showing support for Nikki. The crowds are not as big as they were months ago, but still, they gather to seek justice and try to bring Nikki Chang-Sei Lee McCain home. Mei-Chao Lee, one of the supporters, attends the rally wearing a t-shirt that says, Justice for Nikki. If his brutal assault charges were dropped, and they were,

allegations he horribly beat Nikki prior to her going missing, those charges were dropped. So why is he going back to court? The most recent arrest for Tyler McCain is a traffic-related offense. He was arrested for driving on a suspended license in a car without a license plate. During that stop, deputies found ammunition in his car. That ammunition violated his criminal protective order, and that is what got him arrested. Okay, Alexis Tereschuk joining us, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter.

Explain to me why this guy keeps going to court if the assault charges on Nikki were all dropped. Why is he in court? So there was a protective order against him. And when you have a protective order, you can't have guns or ammunition or things like that. So he got pulled over for a trial violation. I believe he didn't have the license plate on his car, which is illegal. So they pulled him over. They ran his name and they realized that

there was a protective order against him. In the car, there was ammunition that the police saw. And so that is what landed him in jail. This has nothing to do with her, with Nikki's disappearance at all. It's a violation of his protective order. To Chloe, this is Nikki's sister. What happened to the fire incident? So after the investigation, it was, Tyler was cited for it and he did admit to the fire and saying that it was just an accident. We believe that the fire investigation is still ongoing. Okay. What do you mean by that? I don't think they've closed the case yet. I think they're still investigating it. But right after the fire, Tyler was the one that went up to the reporter and said that he accidentally started the fire. Well, I do know this. It was confirmed that an individual who is McCain was

cited for being involved in starting a fire in Olinda. Now, I'm trying to figure out exactly what happened there. The homeowner is Tyler McCain, and he confirmed he's the person who was cited for starting the fire. It's my understanding he says the fire was ignited after he parked a car on dry gas. The fire was started by a failed catalytic converter that expelled hot fragments into dry grass. Now, that's the way I understand it, Kay. Is that correct? Is that what he told authorities at the time? Correct. Because, you know,

Tad DeBias joining us, former assistant U.S. attorney and author of Nobody Homicide Cases, very often after a crime is committed, you see the perp try to destroy evidence, like what might be in a car. Absolutely, Nancy. Again, very common in any type of murder case where you have some time to try and destroy evidence, be it in a car. It could be in a house. You're going to try and clean up if you can. And if you can't clean it up, you may try to destroy it. We're not saying that's what happened here, but certainly a suspicious fire on the property of Tyler, burning up a car owned by him. The timing is certainly very suspicious in connection to when his wife went missing.

Yes, I want to review the timeline. 2K, this is Nikki's sister. Do you recall the day that you realized Nikki was missing? The May 18th was the last contact with the family. But when we realized that she was missing was the 23rd. So it was a few days later or 20. It was the Wednesday. It was the following Wednesday is when we all got into a separate family group text, analyze our timeline, the last communications. And that was when we came to that conclusion. Now, I know that the fire started July 3rd.

And up until that time, Nikki's disappearance has largely been treated as a missing persons case. Now, let me stress again, Tyler McCain has not been named as a suspect in the disappearance or death of Nikki Chang. That has not happened. However, Brian Fitzgibbons, in other cases, we often see evidence destroyed after someone goes missing. Let me just throw out the case of Brian Walsh. Okay.

His wife, Anna, went missing and her body has never been found. But Brian Walsh, her husband, went on a cleaning extravaganza. Not good enough, but he did after she goes missing. Evidence, I believe, was destroyed. Big question here, Nancy, too. July 3rd, that fire by the catalytic converter was two days before Tyler McCain was due back in court on the domestic violence charges. So, you know, making the correlation that there was a potential for him destroying evidence is really strong here. Hubby sets fire to a car while wife reported missing. Where is Nikki Chang's Saley McCain? That case, the torching of the car was deemed as of right now to be an accident. That said, what's happening now? Many people claiming there

are no new clues in the search for Nikki Chang. I disagree. Listen. The Reading Rancheria in an email to Dateline says both local and warranted searches were conducted on the property, but they are unsure where exactly Nikki was last seen and are unaware of any evidence that would indicate Nikki disappeared on the reservation. When Nikki vanished, so did her Chevy Avalanche, and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office located it in western Tahoma County about an hour's drive from the Redding Rancheria. When it was located, there was no sign of Nikki Chang Saley McCain.

I'm very curious as to whether the interior of her Chevy had been wiped down. To Alexis Terescha at CrimeOnline.com, investigative reporter, tell me about the discovery of her vehicle. So it was found weeks later and it was some 50 miles away from where she supposedly dropped it off.

She was supposed to drop it off at her mother-in-law's home, the mother of her husband. That's where she kind of disappeared. She was supposed to drop it off at her mother-in-law's home, the mother of her husband. That's where she kind of disappeared. She was supposed to drop it off and get a ride home. Nobody knows what happened to her after, if she got to the house, dropped it off. And then the car was not found for weeks, but it was found 15 miles away from the mother-in-law's home. Straight out to Nikki's sisters joining us, continuing the search for Nikki, Chloe and Kay joining me. Chloe, Sally, where her vehicle was discovered,

that was an hour away. Is that within any route she normally took? Like, you can look at victims' typical routes. Like a mom goes to the school, she goes to work, she may go to the grocery store, and she comes home. Yes, there are variations. Maybe she goes visits friends or relatives. Maybe she goes to a workout class. Maybe she goes to the mall. But there is a route that mom normally takes. What about where her Chevy was found? Because as I recall, it was in a very odd area way off the beaten path as if it had been parked, as I recall, underneath an overpass, as if it were put there not to be found.

Yeah, that area is, Nikki would have no reason driving out in that area. Kay and Chloe, where is your understanding as to where her vehicle was found. No, I'm not sure. I believe it was, there was one location that we thought the vehicle was left, but I believe it was found another location that's just as remote. You know, Brian Fitzgibbon's joining us, USPA, Nationwide Security. It's my understanding that law enforcement

released the shot of that overpass, but where the vehicle was found was somewhere very different. The vehicle was actually found about 20 miles to the west on a pull-off off of Bowman Road. I believe it's Route 36, heading in a westerly direction. Okay, are you saying Beaumont? Bowman. Bowman, B-O-W-M-A-N. Okay. Back to Chloe and Kay.

Would that development alter your opinion that the location where a vehicle's found is far out of the realm of her normal route? Yes. Did she have anything going on in Beaumont? Work there, visit there, friends there, family there, anything. I mean, that's, that's a long way away. Tyler's family does have property out there, but that's not, it's typically vacant. They don't live there on a regular basis. So they, they do have property out there, but there's no reason for her to be driving out there or visiting for any reason, especially in the middle of the night or without Tyler. Okay, question.

Who has property out there? Tyler's family. His grandma and I think uncle and some cousins. Okay, let me understand this. Let me make sense of what I'm hearing. Chloe and Kate, are you telling me her vehicle was found in the vicinity of his family's property, property that they owned? Yes, that's correct, yes.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Okay, Delatory, again, no one has been named a suspect in Nikki Chain's disappearance. Let's just be clear about that. Dr. Delatore, dare I bring up Scott Peterson again, but Scott Peterson was quite the fisher, correct? And Lacey's body was dumped at a marina near his home,

the San Francisco Bay Marina. That is where witnesses spot him coming in, towing the boat behind him, which many believe carried Lacey's body on it. Then he disappears into the tree line. He cannot be seen. He first said he was going to play golf, that he did play golf that day. But then Ruh-roh, the marina employee, stated, no, no, no, no. I saw him coming here. And there's probably video surveillance of that. But that said, he went, oh yeah, I didn't go play golf. I went fishing on a cold rainy day, Christmas Eve, placing himself at the location where the body was dumped.

Now, again, the husband in this case has not been named a suspect. But wouldn't you agree, generally speaking, Dr. Del Torre, I mean, everybody thinks silently, if you had to bury a body, off the top of your head, where would you go? I know where I would go. I would go to a little-known spot called Seven Bridges in rural Bibb County that we had to cross every day. We went from our home to the city of Macon. It's nothing but swamp.

OK, nothing but. That's where I would go. Who would think to look there? So why is it that we find nefarious doings proof in a place where the perp is familiar? Well, it's because it's exactly what you just said, because it's familiar. No one is saying that any of these individuals are criminal masterminds, like highly sophisticated, thinking of thinking through all of the different consequences and playing chess. It sounds to me like Tyler tends to maybe be a checkers player as opposed to a chess player. So it's not uncommon then to think that if something were to happen, let me do the thing that I know the best. Let me go to the place that I know the best. Let me go to engage in the behaviors that I know I can do the best. You do these kinds of things because you are aroused to the point that you're not thinking straight and you're not thinking through how you should be engaging in criminal behaviors.

You're engaging in behaviors that you are comfortable in engaging in. That vehicle found near the property of Nikki Chain's husband's family. Tyler McCain has been married to Nikki Salia McCain for 13 years and they have four children together. Tyler McCain's criminal record includes a felony burglary charge in 2008. Then a DUI in 2020. Driving on a suspended license January 2023. Driving suspended August 2023. Driving suspended October 2023.

Then on December 6, 2023, felony corporal injury to a spouse, felony false imprisonment, felony criminal threats. Describing the victim in the alleged assault by Tyler McCain, the deputy pointed out the woman was only 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 100 pounds. She could not defend herself against the much bigger and stronger Tyler McCain. Hubby sets fire to a car while wife reported missing. Where is Nikki Chang Saley McCain? The NorCal Alliance for the Missing set up a Facebook page, Help Find Nikki Chang Saley McCain, and has more than 4,000 followers with active posts from family and friends. The page is very active and provides updates about justice rallies and reminders that Nikki is still missing. The page has a reminder that there is a thirty thousand dollar reward money available for information that leads to locating Nikki Chang, Sally McCain. To Nikki's sisters, Chloe Saley and Kay Ford. Chloe, do you feel or believe that law enforcement is continuing to search for Nikki? We do think law enforcement is actively investigating the case.

There are other activities going on in town, so there might be some more focus at certain times, but we are in consistent communication with them, so even if there's nothing to report, they are still checking in with us. So we do feel that they are actively investigating still. Got a question for the sisters. Is the husband still in touch with you regarding the search for Nikki, his wife? The communications, if any, have mostly been initiated on our part. So any searches or anything like that, we haven't been in communication with him about. Does he continue to call you routinely? He, no.

Yeah, I have not gotten a phone call from him. I think it's been about maybe since the summer was the last time he called me. But I did go to his house on the day of nikki's birthday which was um november 9. and what happened i my older brother was there my older brother had to ask tyler like where is she you know where is she man and i remember asking tyler can you please you have a lot of resources you have all these connections can you please help us and can you please just help us come look for Nikki and his response is yeah of course I'll do anything but I believe that actions speak louder than words and what have been his actions to help us I asked him there have been in no action okay

I think I'm translating but you or relatives went and said please help us find her and he said sure and then did nothing yeah nothing no phone call and um he calls me on random different phone numbers and now i pick up every phone call i get hoping maybe it's him um wanting to help but unfortunately it's it's not him where are nikki's children now they They stay between Chloe and myself. Does he come see the children? He's not allowed to see the children based on a previously established court order through their tribe. And I think I understand why. Listen. Wednesday night around 8.30, Nikki Salem McCain is in her bedroom combing her hair.

Her husband of 13 years, Tyler McCain, arrives home in a strange mood. In a matter of minutes, for no apparent reason, Tyler McCain aggressively jumps on top of Nikki, holding her on the ground, then dragging her around, yelling, what are you doing? Nikki Salia McCain says Tyler McCain's eyes are glazed over like he's having some type of mental episode. Nikki tries calming her husband, but it doesn't work, and he holds her down and begins hitting her in the face. The terror escalates over a three-hour period, with McCain binding Nikki's wrists and ankles together with tape, putting tape over her mouth so she couldn't speak properly, rolling his wife onto her stomach. Tyler McCain sits on her back, pulling her hair back, forcefully pulling her head back and telling her he's going to kill her.

Somehow, covered in bruises and with black eyes, Nikki manages to get loose from her bindings, grabs a robe, keys, runs out, gets in her car. McCain chases her out of the home, jumps on the hood of her car, telling her to stop ignoring him. She flees to safety at her sister's home. Back out to the sisters, Chloe and Kay. What do you recall of that evening? I didn't hear what happened until a few nights after, but when she was telling me about it, telling me about what had happened that evening, I was very shocked. And just from looking at Nikki, she looked horrible. And I knew that it's something, this is not right. This is not how a person should be treated. What does she look like? Her face was swollen.

Both her eyes were black. I didn't even, I couldn't even recognize her. She looks so different. And I was terrified looking at her because how bad she looked. Alexis Tereschuk, are those the charges that have been dropped? Yes, for now they are. What do you mean for now they are? Well, the charges have been dropped because they said that there is there she Nikki is not there to testify against him, but they haven't been. They're not dropped and they can't ever be refiled again. The district attorney has been very clear saying we're doing this now because if something else happens, if any new evidence comes forward, this will enable us to go forth with new charges. Tad Dubai is joining us, author of No Body Homicide Cases,

former prosecutor as a fed. Tad, I recall when all the evidence was gone, when the case couldn't be prosecuted, defense attorneys would beg me to null-pros a case, which would mean it could never be revived. No way. We had a tool called a dead docket, which basically means it's taken off the court docket, and it will be revived when the evidence is found. There's a big difference. And in this case, apparently, and I know you're familiar with this, those charges are simply dead docketed. They're not in all prost. That's correct, Nancy.

You can have a case dismissed with prejudice or without prejudice. When it's dismissed with prejudice, it means it cannot be brought again. In this case, what the prosecutor did essentially is dismiss the case on their own without prejudice, which means that the case can be rebrought. Where is Nikki Chain? Now, many people are stating there is no new evidence. I disagree. Brian Fitzgibbons is joining me, Director of Operations, USPA, Nationwide Security. Brian, what should be done now? So there's been quite a bit of public searching for Nikki. And I think right now we need to keep this reward out there.

We need to keep that Nikki's information alive on these social media platforms because someone out there knows something about what happened in Nikki. And it's just a matter of time before they come forward. To Dr. John Delatore, forensic psychologist, what do you believe needs to be done now? And let me remind everyone again, the husband is not a suspect. He has not been arrested. He has not been charged. He has not been named a suspect in Nikki's disappearance. We don't know what happened to Nikki. Dr. John Delatore, what should be done now? To me, I think it's pressure. To me, I think you need to do certain things for family members that unless you start getting like actual law enforcement pressure on you, that you don't recognize as being kind of problematic. So the more pressure you can put on the family, the more pressure you can put on the community, the more the community actually bands together to keep Nikki's name out there. I think all of

that type of pressure can shake some things loose and the truth can be revealed. And to Chloe and Kay, Nikki's sisters who still continue the search for Nikki. What is your message, sisters? Please keep sharing Nikki's story. Please don't stop talking about her. Just like what was said, we need the pressure on so that someone can come forward. And we're still searching all the time, whether it be online or through records, making connections. And we have a group of people who are still working very hard to find some answers. So we want everyone to still stay vigilant and keep your eyes on everything on the case. The reward has now climbed to $-6540. We remember an American hero, Police Chief Christopher Cummings,

Sandburg PD, Tennessee. Chief Cummings passed away in the line of duty, serving law enforcement 29 years plus. A U.S. Army vet and Tennessee National Guard vet, survived by son Matthew, stepson Easton, and partner April. American hero, Chief of Police Christopher Cummings. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.