Going West: True Crime - Nikki Saelee-McCain // 423

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

In May of 2024, a 39-year-old California woman vanished without a trace, and no one, including her husband, seemed to be able to account for her whereabouts – even after her truck was founded abandoned in a deserted location. But the public quickly turned on her husband when they learned that he was under investigation for domestic violence, and that the couple were due in court just 11 days after she vanished. And then, lusciously, an intentional fire started burning outside their Northern California home. This is the story of Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on true crime fans? I'm your host Heath and I'm your host Daphne and you're listening to going west Wow, he's got the power today. I changed it up We got some energy people because today's case needs a lot of attention. So listen up. Yes, it does. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. We have been all over this case the past few weeks because recently there were some disturbing developments that came out, but we all need to share Nicky's

story because I feel like it's only a matter of time before it breaks. I think so too. Yeah, I think we are very, very close here. So make sure that you share this. Make sure you go check out the photos of this case on our socials. You can find them over on Instagram at Going West podcast, also on Facebook.

Yes, and also there are a few instances of domestic violence in this episode. We never wanna be too graphic on Going West, but we do explain a few situations on the show today to show everybody the gravity of the situation. So I just wanted to give a little trigger warning. Yes, it is extremely important for you guys to know all the details of today's story so we can get justice for Nikki. Absolutely. So without further ado, let's talk about her.

All right guys, this is episode 423 of Going West, so let's get into it. Make your nights unforgettable with American Express. Unmissable show coming up? Good news. We've got access to pre-sale tickets so you don't miss it. Meeting with friends before the show? We can book your reservation. And when you get to the main event, skip to the good bit using the card member entrance.

Let's go seize the night. That's the powerful backing of AmeriMexpress. Visit amex.ca slash yamex. Benefits vary by card, other conditions apply. other conditions apply. In May of 2024, a 39-year-old California woman vanished without a trace, and no one, including her husband, seemed to be able to account for her whereabouts, even after her truck was found abandoned in a deserted location. But the public quickly turned on her husband when they learned that he was under investigation

for domestic violence and that the couple were due in court just 11 days after she vanished. And then, suspiciously, an intentional fire started raging outside their Northern California home. California home. This is the story of seven children and she's known to be incredibly close with her sisters. So just remember that as this story goes on. Nikki was born into a refugee camp and her family belongs to the Yumean ethnic group which originated in southern China. And although still very present in the region, many disperse to Laos, Vietnam, Thailand,

France, Australia, or the United States. So Nikki and her family eventually settled in Northern California, more specifically the city of Reading. And there they really relished in having a large population of fellow Yumean people. They just had this very supportive and tight-knit community. Now Nikki is known to be selfless, fun, and bubbly, and her sisters all claim that she's their go-to person. In her early 20s, Nikki met a man named Tyler McCain,

who was born and raised in Northern California, just in this very same area that this story takes place. And after Nikki and Tyler were married, they had four children. Her youngest is currently seven years old and her oldest is 13. And this year marks about 16 years that Nikki and Tyler have been together. But though their relationship appears to be ideal online,

depicted with, you know, beautiful family photos and matching outfits, Nikki's sisters came to know a darker side of her husband Tyler. Nikki's sister Chloe claims that she first started noticing Nikki's injuries in 2019, so five years ago. Her family, who again are very close, like I said, notes that Nikki would occasionally be seen with black eyes and bruises, but she would kind of downplay her injuries.

And according to her sisters wanted to maintain a strong exterior for her siblings and her children. So she never reported the assault. She never vented about them to her family. It actually wasn't until 2023, which we're going to discuss that she finally did this. So four years past of Nikki experiencing all of this abuse and just keeping it locked inside of her. Yeah, and if her family is noticing it, these past five years,

it's probably possible that it happened before then as well, because like you said, they'd been together for 16 years nearly. So yeah, I mean- Yeah, it's hard to believe that the first 10 wouldn't have had any abuse in it. And then suddenly it started. Maybe it was abusive in ways that weren't physically noticeable, at least not somewhere as obvious as her face, you know,

maybe it escalated to that. But her sisters also claim that Nikki and Tyler were constantly working on their relationship and hoping to mend things moving forward so that they could stay together. But the altercations only seemed to get worse as time went on. In one fight, Tyler hit Nicky in the face with a cutting board, which left a gash from her eyebrow to her forehead. As the assaults grew more aggressive, Nick became genuinely fearful for her life, and afraid of what Tyler would do to her if she tried to leave him.

Because unfortunately, he had more than just his family on his side. There was this sense of power. Because basically, Redding Rancheria is a Native American tribe comprised of Wintu, Pit River, and Yonna people, and they're native to the region. And Tyler and his family are members of that tribe, and in fact, he has ties to superiors in this community. His aunt is the vice chairman, and other extended family members are members of the council. Now, Tyler's grandfather, Orville Hayward, was Reading Rancheria and Wintu Tribal Elder and assisted in the opening of the Wind River Casino on Reading Rancheria land in 1993.

And Nikki herself was actually employed at this casino as a cocktail waitress at one point in time, so she was very familiar with the property, the Rancheria, and Tyler's extended family, who again hold these positions of power in their community. And after the incident with the cutting board that I just mentioned, the Reading Rancheria Tribal Court got involved and actually removed the couple's four children from the home, and the kids began staying with Nikki's family. But one source who's apparently close to Nikki's family alleged, One source who's apparently close to Nikki's family alleged quote The tribe child protective services took over and labeled Nikki the primary aggressor

They told Tyler that he could go home with his kids, but Nikki could not Tyler told them no he's going home with his wife. This is all words from Tyler So at first you're kind of like, oh, okay They're while the situation is getting handled The kids are going with Nikki's family. The tribal court wants to help her. But then it's like, oh, wait, they're on Tyler's side. This is his family, his community first. Yeah. And it's just insane to me that they're calling Nikki the aggressor because we're going to

get into some very harsh details that prove that that is definitely not true. So, although the kids were removed from their Anderson, California home, it appears that both Nikki and Tyler maintained primary residence there. But, unfortunately, the attacks leveled against Nikki continued, even after the children were removed from the home. Neighbors recall an incident where Nikki left the house with bare, bloody feet after Tyler had broken dishes in the home and she stepped on them. In another incident, Tyler wielded a wrench and was seen chasing her around the yard with it. Like someone is watching that happen. Yeah, so like, yeah, these neighbors are seeing all of this go down.

And yet another neighbors witnessed Tyler splashing gasoline on Nikki's car and telling her that he was going to cut her head off. That is so insane. It's insanely aggressive. Now let's talk about who the real aggressor is here. So true. So at the end of November 2023, tensions between the two reached a boiling point when Tyler landed Nicky in the hospital. So aside from his domestic violence allegations, Tyler has had numerous run-ins with the law in the last decade and a half. In 2008, he was arrested for misdemeanor vandalism and felony burglary charges, but the burglary charge was eventually dismissed.

He pled guilty to the misdemeanor charge and received three years probation. Then in 2020, he was arrested on a DUI charge to which he pled guilty. And in that instance, his BAC was more than twice the legal limit. For this, he was again placed on probation and was required to use an ignition interlock device that verified his BAC before the car would start. And a lot of you guys have probably seen these things. You have to blow into them before the car will start for you.

Yeah, just to prove that you are not under the influence and that you can drive safely. So in May of 2023, Tyler was arrested for driving on a suspended license, and reporters and locals alike have noted that he has continued to drive himself around the community. Kind of seems like he feels like he owns the place, you know? Yeah, he just does not give a shit about anything. Well then, on Friday, December 1st, 2023, just after 11 PM, an officer reported to Mercy Hospital in Reading to speak with Nikki about her latest harrowing experience with Tyler. This is going back to what Heath was just hinting at because according to Nikki,

Tyler brutally and relentlessly assaulted her two days earlier on November 29th, between 830 and 1130 PM. And if she hadn't escaped, she truly believes that he would have killed her. Now here is what Nikki reported. On the evening of Wednesday, November 29th, 2023, Nikki returned to their empty home on Olinda Road in Anderson, just about 15 minutes south of Redding.

Nikki claimed that she arrived home between 8.15 and 8.30 PM, and when she got home, Tyler wasn't there. But then, just 15 minutes later, she was in her bedroom brushing her hair, minding her own business, when Tyler stormed in. Now, she immediately recognized his strange and paranoid behavior describing him as quote agitated. While Nikki was in their bedroom, Tyler locked the back door and then approached her,

catching her off guard and jumping on her, holding her down and asking her suspiciously, what's going on? What are you doing? Through her terror, Nikki noted that his eyes were glazed and darkened and that she believed he was either having a mental episode, was on drugs, or both. So Nikki says that she suspected that he had been using methamphetamine intermittently for some

time, including likely on this occasion. She also said that for three time, including likely on this occasion. She also said that for three hours, Tyler held her down, screaming taunts at her, and hitting her in the face. He pulled her hair, taped her mouth shut, bound her legs and hands, and poured cold water over her face to mimic the feeling of drowning. So basically he was waterboarding her and just beating the shit out of her for three entire hours.

Yeah, and Nikki later relayed that he had been violent plenty of times before, but that this was the worst that it had ever been. And Heath kind of hinted to this earlier, you know, how there's no way that she is the aggressor here, because by the way, Nikki was five feet tall and a hundred pounds. So she could not defend herself against her husband who towered over her. Deputy Gary Maul, who took Nikki's statement in the hospital, even jotted down, quote, Tyler is substantially larger and stronger than she is. And there would be no way for her to fend him off in his fit of rage during the assault.

So after three hours of this nasty assault, Tyler finally got tired of wrestling with her and beating her, and he went down to the kitchen to take a break. Well, this is when Nikki managed to wriggle out of her wrist and foot bindings, threw on a robe, grabbed her car keys, and jumped into her car. But Tyler allegedly chased after her, even flattening himself on the hood of the car. But thankfully, Nikki was able to flee to her sister's house, and when she felt calm and safe enough to tell her story, she reported to the hospital to get checked for her injuries

and then file a police report. The call finally came in when she was being treated in the emergency room around 7pm on December 1st, 2023, so again, two days later. The officer noted that she had two black eyes, bruising on her forehead and face, and that her entire face was swollen. So that same night, the law enforcement actually made their way over to Tyler's house to speak with him, noting that his statements sounded inconsistent and nonsensical. Now according to Tyler, Nikki had gotten into an altercation with a woman two nights prior, and that's where she sustained her injuries, even saying that he believed that she was in a romantic relationship with this woman.

Such a weird story. Yeah he's kind of pointing you know his finger in other directions and it's very very strange. He also added that they had been getting along perfectly fine and had no marital issues, that they'd been together for over a decade and that they were quote a happy couple. He also alleged that there had never been any physical altercations between them and continued to feign ignorance regarding her injuries, even when the officer reported that Nikki had told them that he had been the one who assaulted her. Well in the end Tyler was charged with

four felony counts of domestic violence, false imprisonment, and terrorist threats. After he was arrested, a search of their house was conducted, and five firearms were found inside. All of them were on record, except for one assault rifle that was described as an AK-47 style gun, and it was reported to have been stolen out of Oregon. Stolen?

Yeah, pretty suspicious there, and I'm not sure if he's the person who stole this gun or not, but yeah, it's a stolen gun from Oregon. So after all of this happened, you know, this harrowing ordeal, Nikki was receiving support from One Safe Place, which is a women's advocacy group in Reading for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. She also started meeting with a victim's advocate provided by the district attorney's office. Which is so amazing, but it makes us wonder where she was living full time because we're

not clear, by the way, if she was staying at home with Tyler, if she was staying there sometimes, if she wasn't staying there at all, like that information isn't available, so we're not sure. Well, either way, on May 7th, 2024, Tyler appeared in court for his domestic violence charges and he pleaded not guilty. Well, according to Nikki's sister Chloe, Nikki texted her that same day that she was ready to leave him and was preparing to file for divorce. And then she went missing. So On Friday, May 17th, 2024, Tyler's brother, Brian, actually wound up in the hospital and

the very same hospital where Nikki had been treated for the injuries inflicted upon her by Tyler about five months earlier. So the family gathered there to be with Brian and Nikki joined in as well to support her in-laws. And somehow that night, Nikki wound up driving a car belonging to Tyler's mom, Jeanette McCain. So just after midnight that night on Saturday, May 18th, 2024, because now, you know, we're after midnight into the next day, 39-year-old Nikki sent a text to her sister telling her that she was driving Tyler's mom's car back to his mom's house, which was only about 12 minutes away from Mercy Hospital.

So this was kind of just a, this is what I'm'm up to text just updating her sister on what she's doing But Chloe was asleep at this time. So she didn't even see this text message until she woke up hours later the next morning But when Chloe went to answer her sister's text that morning the message went through as green instead of blue Even though both women have iPhones which for non iPhone, it can mean a lot of things when this happens, but like the rest of us do when it does, Chloe found it strange, but wondered if her sister maybe didn't have service at that moment or her phone had died. Chloe didn't really think very much of it at the time and she kind of just waited for a response, but none ever came. All weekend,

the family kept in touch via the family group chat and Nikki never chimed in. So by Tuesday, May 21st, 2024, when no one had heard a response from her, the family really started to worry. But when they asked Tyler about her whereabouts, you know, her husband, they were left with more questions than answers. As usual, Tyler claimed that he didn't know where Nikki was and hadn't seen her, telling them that the last time he or anyone in his family saw her was three days earlier,

shortly after midnight on Saturday, May 18th, when she dropped off his mom's car at her house, saying that Nikki had called a car from her phone and left in it. And that was the last he saw of her, was her apparently going into this alleged vehicle. And this is also around the time that her sister had gotten that text from her about what she was doing that night. So this is really adding up as the last time that anybody is seeing or text from her about, you know, what she was doing that night. So this is really adding up is the last time that anybody is seeing or hearing from her. But the thing is Tyler shared multiple stories

that a friend was supposed to pick Nikki up, that she had called an Uber herself and left, which there is no known record of, that she had run off with a woman that she was in a relationship with and That she was headed to Las Vegas with a man that she started dating like all over the freaking map with these stories Yeah, he's saying oh, she's she's into this woman But oh also she's into this man that she left with like this dude has no I no clue like he's just

but like this dude has no clue. Like he's just telling everybody else a different story. But these are all also very different from each other. So they can all kind of be true at the same time as well. But it's just, he had already talked about some alleged woman that she had a relationship with, though there's no record of that being true either. So it's just overall a really weird situation that he is, like you said earlier Heath, kind of deflecting blame here.

However, without Nikki's phone, her family had no confirmation that she ever even made it to her mother-in-law's house that night. Like they don't know her concrete movements at all after she left Mercy Hospital. And understandably, her family was just getting so frustrated with the lack of answers and accountability, so her sister Chloe filed a missing persons report

through the Redding Police Department. But when the police realized that Nikki was supposedly last seen at her mother-in-law's house on the Redding Rancheria and that she lives in Anderson, the case was transferred to the Shasta County Police Department, which caused a big slow down. Yeah, because now they have to transfer all the information from one department to a completely different department. Nobody knows what's going on.

Exactly. And it doesn't help that the last person to see her doesn't even seem to know what her last movement was. Well, yeah, the last person to see her and the closest person to her, really. Her husband. Or he's just lying. Right. Though the Reading Rancheria's tribal land is fairly small, it seemed like the best place

to start because she was supposedly last seen at Jeanette Hayward's house, again, Tyler's mom, which is located on Triballand right next to the casino. Or, at least Tyler's family says that this is where she was last seen. But the case suffered yet another hit when investigators came up against the Rancheria's regulations. Searches were conducted in the vicinity on foot and by plane, but the Rancheria minimizes access to certain areas on the property due to tribal sovereignty. The tribe issued a press release addressing

the growing agitation with their guidelines, which read, quote, Reading Rancheria would like to reaffirm its position in supporting all efforts to find Nikki Chang's Salie McCain. We are deeply saddened that she has been missing for so long. She is close and dear to many in our tribal community, and we wish for her safe return. While our first priority is to support finding Nikki, we would also like to address the misinformation and false accusations about Redding Rancheria. Redding Rancheria is a government organization, much like the state of California and the federal government. As a government organization,

we have supported and continue to support the investigation that the Sheriff's Department is conducting and hope for a just resolution. We have done as much as possible, but not limited to working with the NorCal Alliance for the Missing, offering a $10,000 reward, paying for and posting a large billboard along I-5 to spread awareness and information to help find Nikki, putting up posters and flyers at Reading Rancheria locations to spread awareness, granted access to local parties on tribal-owned land, and cooperating with local law enforcement to provide information and video footage requested by law enforcement. The tribe cannot conduct criminal investigations due to the lack of tribal law

enforcement, grant access to individually owned parcels, or infringe upon individual tribal member rights. The misinformed attack against the tribe are disheartening. This is a difficult time for many, and our hearts go out to Nikki's family and friends. We urge the community to come together and work with us and others in the community to do whatever we can to find Nikki." Well this was pretty discouraging to her family because they knew that Nikki could be just out of reach, you know, in an area that was not permitted to be searched. So her sisters also issued a statement and this was in response to what Heath just read.

Quote, Thank you Redding Rancheria for the reward, the signs, the billboard. These have been tremendously helpful to the search for Nikki, a tribal spouse with four tribal children. We, her family, are so grateful for the contributions. But you have the power to do more.

Push your members to speak up and hold them accountable. The silence is speaking louder and louder. Don't divide the tribe for a single cause. So as the community scrambled to search the vast and rugged terrain surrounding the Rancheria, the case received its first startling development. And though it was, you know, forward momentum, it also wasn't a positive sign for Nikki's wellbeing.

On May 25th, 2024, so one week after Nikki was last seen her pewter colored truck, a 2002 Chevy Avalanche was found 50 miles or 80 kilometers from where she had last been seen. The car was actually new to her. Tyler had purchased it just a week or two before her disappearance, so it still displayed the license plates from its former owners. The truck popped up on a remote road in a hilly wooded area described as challenging and rugged. It was parked beneath an overpass about an hour away from Redding near a defunct California mining town called Begum. Five days later, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office announced

to the public that they had recovered her car and this obviously sparked a ton more public outcry because it meant that whoever had taken Nikki had likely done so with an accomplice and use them to return back to the area after abandoning her car, which really feels like the only possibility, especially for this kind of deserted area. You know, we're not going to see Tyler calling an Uber and putting this location on record. So someone else has to know something. Yeah. I mean, it's crazy that we can make these connections like this. The fact that there had to be a second person with whomever,

which obviously most of us believe it was probably Tyler right you know but we see this a lot too because whenever there's an abandoned car it's like well they had to they had to get out of there somehow but I mean that you made a really great point though the fact that this is such a deserted area he's not like you said calling an uber out to this this random location where the car was dropped off. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure he could have, but like, I mean, that would look so sketchy

and there would again be record of it. So it really doesn't seem like that happened. No. And by the way, there are only two paved roads between where Nikki was last publicly seen, again at Mercy Hospital and where her car was found. It's highway 36 and Platina Road and obviously her car being abandoned kind of in this deserted area doesn't point

to anything good. It almost certainly points to foul play but as far as what if anything was found inside Nikki's truck police have not yet announced it. Yeah because remember this is still an ongoing investigation. Nikki has still not made it home. So Tyler and his family have for good reason fallen under suspicion. Though nothing is officially tied them to Nikki's disappearance and Tyler hasn't been named an official suspect. Right, because again her body still hasn't been

found, she has not been found, and it's been exactly two months from when we're recording this that she went missing. Well, for good reason though, the Court of Public Opinion has decidedly ruled against him. Oh yeah. And because his family has connections to the Rancheria, which may have been used to cover up what actually happened to her, his extended family was brought under fire as well. On July 6th, 2024, Tyler's grandma Sandy posted on Facebook, quote, I thank all of you for your concern for Nikki. Try finding out who picked her up.

She called someone for a ride. There's also another young woman missing from that road. If we knew anything about where she is, we would definitely be telling the law enforcement. Regardless of what most of you think, we would never want anything bad to happen to her. We love her and she loves all of us. Yeah and that might be true. Yeah, I mean it probably is, but that does not excuse all of the details that we know about Tyler's abuse So the community and Nikki's friends and family have noted the family's hostility against the search efforts But it's also possible that they don't all know what happened and just one of them is helping cover for Tyler

Yeah Grandma Sandy might not have any idea that Tyler is actually responsible and that somebody else in the family helped him cover it up. The rest of the family might not be complicit. Sure. Yeah, absolutely. Well, on June 28th, 2024, more than a month after Nikki went missing, Tyler McCain was again due in court to face the charges for the assault that he committed against her. Meanwhile, outside the Shasta County Superior Court, nearly a hundred people gathered to show their support for Nikki and her family.

And as Tyler approached the courthouse in a crisp, white button-down shirt, he can be seen smirking at all the protesters as they chanted, quote, no justice, no peace if Tyler's on the streets. I love that chant. I do too. And he was even captured on camera flipping off Nikki's sisters. What an asshole. It's such a bad look.

Even if, you know, they're suspicious of you and your family, if you really didn't do anything to your wife, the woman that you supposedly love and want to stay married to, you wouldn't do that. Like you would be fighting alongside them. Yeah, exactly. Like if you really care about finding Nikki, you would have been involved in the search efforts. You would not be flipping off the sisters. You wouldn't be laughing at protesters. Like, it just, it just gives you the fucking ick. It's so gross. So while recording him on her phone, Chloe, again Nikki's sister, followed behind him,

demanding quote, where's my sister Tyler? In response, Tyler simply shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. Like what does that mean? I don't know. I mean, you would think that he would have something to say to her, but of course he doesn't. Well, inside the courthouse, the judge reached a devastating conclusion. The charges would have to be dropped if Nikki was not present to affirm them.

So this kind of sucks because obviously she's missing, she can't be there to be like, yeah, Tyler, uh Tyler domestically assaulted me. Well, Judge Daniel Flynn postponed the hearing until July 5th, 2024, in hopes that a conclusion would be reached and that Nikki would show up. Meaning that if Nikki's body was found or if she was there to testify,

the state would have a case against Tyler McCain. If not, he would be able to walk free. Astounded by this, Chloe said after the demonstration, quote, I didn't expect him to flip me off, and I didn't expect him to be so arrogant. Another of Nikki's sisters, Kay, added, quote, The abrasiveness is what really shocked us. And remember, Nikki's sisters have been family to Tyler for 16 years as well.

So it's even more shocking when you remember their history as a united family. Like these are your wife's sisters that you have known for almost two decades. Yeah, you've been close with them. You've been with them at family gatherings. They're the aunt to your children. Yes.

You know what I mean? Exactly. How can you treat them like that? It speaks volumes. Well, in the week between the hearing and the new date appointed by the judge came another strange development. A fire broke out at Nikki and Tyler's Anderson home. This fire supposedly started beneath one and Tyler's Anderson home.

This fire supposedly started beneath one of Tyler's cars, which was parked on some dry grass in front of their sprawling property on a day that reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit or 46 degrees Celsius. I mean, that is seriously hot. So the police were apparently on the scene rather quickly and the fire never reached their house but it did fully engulf the car and quickly spread to the brush surrounding the house. According to onlookers, Tyler seemed unaffected by the situation and looked on nonchalantly as this fire spread. According to Tyler, the

fire was due to a catalytic converter issue, but because the car was extremely charred and burnt up, it was just impossible to tell what the actual origin had been and if Tyler had been telling the truth here. So Tyler was cited, but only for negligently starting a fire, to which he openly admitted to doing. I mean, kind of surprising that he admitted to it. Yeah, that he's taking responsibility for the first time. So Tyler was forced to evacuate the property, as were some of his neighbors, and this blaze burned 96 acres, becoming known as the Olinda Fire. Again, this just happened so if you live in California,

you have also probably been seeing this on the news. Now the fire engulfed multiple cars belonging to Nikki and Tyler, multiple cars, but thankfully nobody was hurt and no structures burned. However, the timing seemed awfully convenient. Yeah, it absolutely did. Well, I would say that the most logical conclusion is that Tyler did this to dispose of evidence. Because if you think as well that Tyler did kill Nikki and we're talking about

how her car was abandoned, maybe then her body was never in her car and her body was disposed of in his car. And this is the car that burned so that police couldn't search the property and you know find that evidence. Yeah now we'll never know if there was some sort of blood evidence inside any of these vehicles that are now charred and burned up. And that's why it's so devastating that these cars and the property wasn't searched before this even happened because I truly believe that he was trying to burn it all down so that he will never ever be found out for what he did.

Yeah, I totally agree. Well, we're not alone here because Tad DeBias who is an assistant US attorney and an expert in no-body homicide cases, weighed in on this fire on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, right alongside Nikki's sisters, Chloe and Kay. And here is what Tad had to say about the

fire and what he thinks it means. Well, Nancy, I think it's highly suspicious. As you said, catalytic converters generally don't spontaneously combust. And as I think Lauren pointed out, you'd think someone who lived in California would know not to park their car on dry grass. More concerning is when you have a missing persons case that this is, the places the police are going to be interested in are a suspect's or a victim's car the suspect or victim's place of

Living their home and the suspect's or missing person's property Well now two of those three things have been burned the the suspect's car has been burned And now you have the suspect's property being burned. It sounds like the house was not burned suspect's property being burned. It sounds like the house was not burned, but that's not entirely clear at the moment. So to me, as I said, that is highly suspicious that these areas, which could be fruitful areas for evidence in either a missing person case or God forbid, a nobody homicide case, those things are now burned. A fire is going to do significant damage to any type of forensic That's a fire is going to do significant damage to any type of forensic evidence. And the timing of it, as you said, is highly, highly suspicious. The Redding Police Department, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

all arrived to tend to this blaze. But as usual, Tyler escaped on a technicality because there was no evidence to support that the fire was started due to negligence. And it's just crazy to me that blame was placed on him. He admitted to it and didn't seem to care about what damage the car had done to his property and the land surrounding him, which I think just really shows his callous nature and adds so much suspicion on his shoulders to this fire being a positive thing that he wanted because it was going to benefit him in some way, like by destroying evidence that he murdered his wife. Yeah, it's kind of crazy when you really think about it that this fire burned up 96 acres of land and he's just kind of like

Well, um, I guess I did it but I didn't mean to yeah It is so wild but just two days after the fire on friday, july 5th, 2024 Tyler appeared in court again The prosecution was unable to turn up a body or any evidence tying Tyler to the disappearance of his wife, and Nicky was still missing. So the case was dismissed. Protesters again gathered outside the courthouse, but this time Tyler kind of slinked in and out through the back door to remain undetected by this very angry mob who did not want him to get away with this.

His mom, Jeanette Hayward, and grandma, Sandy Hayward, attested alongside him and maintained to the crowd of demonstrators that Tyler was uninvolved. Though Tyler has had contact with Nikki's family, it's mostly been over text and phone call but in one instance, her sisters recall him asking to come over to see his four children and in another, he was attempting to wish his daughter a happy birthday. But according to Kay, quote, he is not able to see the children. Now Nicky's family is forced to wait for answers and just hope that somehow she's found. Kay added, quote, It's just so hard because we feel like we're so powerless. We can't find her.

We know that Tyler knows where she's at. But her sisters have made it clear that they have no intention of slowing down their search efforts. When asked what message her sisters have for the public, Chloe said, quote, We're not going to stop searching. We're going to keep searching until we find her. Nikki Chang's Salie McCain is 39 years old. She has brown eyes and reddish brown hair.

She stands at five feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds. It's unknown what she had been wearing that night, and Tyler and his family have refused to address this for whatever reason, despite multiple requests from the media and Nicky's family to do so. There are $10,000 rewards being offered by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, Kingsman Philanthropic and the Wind River Casino totaling $30,000. If you have any information about Nikki's whereabouts or spotted her pewter colored Chevy Avalanche pickup truck between May 18 and May 24, please call the Shasta County Sheriff's Office at 530-245-6540.

Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and please again share, share, share. Yeah, we are really hoping for speedy justice here. Hopefully we'll have an update episode for you guys soon because I'm just really hoping like I said in the beginning of this episode that that there is a break in the case soon. I feel like it's just imminent. Like, we know, we know what happened in a way, you know? Yeah, we kind of do. And you know, this case only took place just a couple months ago from when we're recording this in July of 2024.

I mean, the case happened in May of 2024. But still, I mean, that has not been a whole lot of time for investigation. It is still fresh. We still need people to be sharing the story. And it's still so fresh that if you're in the area, you or somebody you know might remember something or have seen something crucial and important. So please share this episode, share Nikki's story and thank you guys so much for tuning in. All right guys. So for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp

I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp I'm just a little bit of a wimp you