Law&Crime Sidebar - Man Killed Missing California Mom to Hide a Dark Secret: DA

Episode Date: August 25, 2025

More than a year after Nikki Saelee-McCain went missing in Redding, California, her husband, Tyler McCain, has been arrested and charged with her murder. The mother of four was expected to testify against her husband in an upcoming domestic violence case, after she said he tied her up and brutally beat her. Nikki’s sisters, Chloe Saelee and Kaye Saelee-Ford join Law&Crime‘s Jesse Weber to discuss the latest developments.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Stay Informed, Stay Safe – Check Public Records with TruthFinder now at https://www.truthfinder.com/lcsidebarHOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wonderry Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Nikki is still not home. Nikki is still out there somewhere, and we want her back. A missing California woman has never been found. But authorities in Shasta County have announced they believe she is dead and her own husband is responsible. Now, many in the community had suspected him from the start and say, his arrest means they are one step closer to getting justice. We have got the latest developments

in the case of Nikki Saly McCain, and we are talking with her own sisters about their journey so far and what comes next. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. When we first told you about Nikki Saly McCain's disappearance from her home near Redding, California, there really wasn't a lot of information out there. We knew Nikki, a 39 year old mom of four was reported missing by her sister on May 22nd, 2024. We knew that Shasta County investigators were trying to figure out what happened to her. We knew that her husband, Tyler Scott McCain, had been facing charges in connection with domestic violence, an incident in November of 2023. We know that those charges ended up being dropped because

Nikki wasn't available to testify, but here's where things changed. During a news conference that was organized by Nikki's family to keep Nikki's story in the public eye. We got to say, Tyler looked arguably visibly uncomfortable as he spoke to reporters. First of all, I would like to thank the Sheriff's Office of FBI for getting involved. Any efforts that might help bring my wife home, you know, safely. We miss you. I don't know what I would say I haven't been in the public eyes

and I haven't done very well with it I apologize to everyone especially my children my wife's family mine as well as well I'm just here in support so anything that I can do I want to do that

Okay, you know, thank you, Ted. Thank you, Ted. Thank you. And in March of this year, the district attorney's office announced that despite Nikki's body not being found, they were investigating this case as a homicide. And around that same time, according to news station, KCRA, the FBI and agents from the Department of Homeland Security, they served a search warrant on the Olinda Road home. Nicky's family, their friends, they pushed very hard for answers here.

They've conducted searches. They've held candlelight vigils. They've spread the word about Nikki's disappearance across the country. And on Wednesday, August 20th, they and the public finally got much needed answers to at least some of their questions. Why? Shasta County officials announced on Wednesday that they had arrested Tyler McCain, that he had been arrested and charged. with Nikki's murder, along, by the way, with a slew of other charges.

Now, he is being held without bail, and his first court appearance is scheduled for this afternoon. But according to the district attorney, this is the first time a nobody murder case has been charged in this county. So we want to take a look at this updated timeline from the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and the district attorney's office because we think it's important to get perspective here. So Nikki was last seen in public at the Mercy Medical Center in Reading on Friday, May 17, 2024. It's believed that she was at home after that, and her phone apparently connected to the network at her house just after 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 18th, but no one heard from or saw Nikki again. One of her sisters, Chloe, reported her missing on May 22nd, and Shasta County deputies served a search warrant on Saturday, May 25th.

I want you to take a listen, though, to what Sheriff Michael Johnson had to say at Wednesday's news conference. A day after taking the missing person's case, detectives served a search warrant. and Nikki and Tyler's residents. Various items of evidentiary value were seized as evidence. However, Nicky was not located. On May 25th, 2024, Nicky's vehicle that Chevy Avalanche was located by a citizen off of Highway 36 in an area near Platina, kind of on the border of Shasta and Tahama counties.

Detectives and crime scene investigators process a vehicle and located physical evidence, indicated foul play. The area where Nikki's vehicle was located was searched extensively by Sheriff's Office employees and our search and rescue teams. But again, Nikki was not located. Since the start of this investigation, detectives and law enforcement and allied agencies have worked tirelessly to locate Nikki and to determine the events surrounding her disappearance. Detectives have served search warrants conducted numerous field searches, multiple interviews of family members, friends,

and acquaintances, all to new avail. We still have not located Nikki. Based on the evidence gathered, information learned from interviews and the fact that no one in Nikki's family has seen or heard from Nikki since her disappearance, the detectives has determined that Nikki is a victim of homicide. Detectives also further concluded, that Nikki's husband, Tyler Scott McCain, is responsible for Nicky's death and disappearance. Detectives recently obtained a murder arrest warrant for Tyler McCain, and today at about 10.15 a.m., Tyler McCain was arrested. He was ultimately booked in the Shafts County Jail with no bail for the murder of Nicky. Let me break that down a little bit. Okay, so first, let's talk about the evidence that police apparently found when they located Nicky.

Nicky's truck. According to a press release from the DA's office, quote, on Saturday, May 25th, 2024, Nikki's Chevrolet avalanche was located off the roadway near Highway 26 and Beegham Road close to the Shasta Tahama County border after a citizen reported seeing it in the area. An overwhelming odor of decomposition was emitting from the truck bed, which had an enclosed tonneau-style covering. A white sheet with apparent blood and various staining was located in the truck bed. Multiple items, including the sheet and apparent blood, were submitted to the California Department of Justice Bureau of forensic servicers where testing confirmed the blood belonged to Nicky. Further forensic analysis of items recovered from

the vehicle's interior and truck bed provided overwhelming support that Tyler McCain was the primary source of DNA on items unrelated to blood or bodily fluids. Hmm. So you have district attorney Stephanie Bridget, who also spoke at that news conference and provided a little bit more information. As the sheriff said, her body has not been found. And it is still our hope that she will be located. But under the laws of the state of California, we're not required to have a person's body in order to charge murder.

That's what we call a no-body homicide case. That is what we filed. And I'm sure many of you are asking, no, we've never filed that type of case in Shasta County before. But we are going to work very hard on this case. And to me, despite not finding her body, we have been provided with overwhelming evidence to prove that not only is Nikki dead, but that Tyler McCain is responsible for her murder. Now, according to the DA, it is believed that Tyler killed. Nicky to keep her from testifying about graphic and brutal domestic violence that was happening behind closed doors. And the press release got into more detail. Quote, a confidential informant

provided a statement to detectives reporting that Tyler McCain admitted two killing Nikki on May 18, 2024 after a domestic violence incident. Further investigation revealed a history of domestic violence between Tyler McCain and Nikki dating back to approximately 2020. On December, 1st, 2023, Nikki filed a report with the Shasta County Sheriff's Office following a domestic violence incident with Tyler McCain the week prior. The sheriff's deputy contacted Nikki at Mercy Medical Center, where she was seeking treatment and observed obvious injuries to Nikki's face, including blackened eyes and other facial trauma. Nikki stated on November 29th, 2023, she was physically assaulted by her husband, Tyler McCain, at their home for approximately

three hours. During this time, Tyler McCain struck Nikki in the face multiple times, pulled her hair, poured large amounts of water over her, bound her ankles and wrists together with tape, and covered her mouth with tape. Nikki stated based on the events, she was in fear for her life and believed she was going to die. Now, that is just so chilling, considering what he's accused of doing right now. And I can't imagine what it is like to live through something like that, assuming these allegations are true. But Tyler was charged with felony domestic violence for the attack. He pleaded not guilty. Those charges were dropped in July of 2024 after Nikki went missing, right? No one to testify about it. But now they have been refiled. And the DA

further explained this. Explain the vast assortment of charges that Tyler faces right now as he sits behind bars with no bail. Count one in this complaint charges murder, but it also has an enhancement that goes with it, that the murder was committed with the intent to prevent testimony. And that's to prevent the testimony of Nikki McCain in the domestic violence case that was pending at the time that she went missing. Count two through five are domestic violence charges for McCain's assault on Nikki occurring December 2nd of 2023. Those are the domestic violence charges that were pending at the time that she went missing. Those are the same charges that my office dismissed in July of 2024 shortly after she went missing. We are refiling all of those

charges. They include corporal injury to a spouse, false imprisonment, criminal threats, assault and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. We have also filed additional charges, counts six through eight, a rise out of a search warrant that was served on Tyler McCain's home shortly after Nikki went missing. And as a result of that search, he is facing illegal possession of firearm and illegal possession of ammunition after a criminal protective order had been issued protecting Nikki McCain prior to her going missing. Count nine charges forgery occurring May 29th, again after Nicky went missing around May 18th. Shortly after Nikki was reported missing, this forgery charge results out of a forged signature on a joint tax return check that we believe that Tyler McCain forged her signature to cash that check.

Counts 10 through 12 are for various violations occurring on April 1st of this year. After Nikki had been reporting, reported missing for almost an entire year, McCain was observed throwing items out of his vehicle. And when he was pulled over on his possession was a burnt California driver's license for Nikki McCain. So here's the thing. We go back to April. And the DA's office revealed that Tyler had been acting suspicious. while out on the road. And that helped them uncover yet more evidence that he was allegedly involved in Nicky's disappearance. You go to April 1st, 2025. There was a traffic stop that was conducted on Tyler McCain near Highway 299 and Dusty Oaks Trail. And this is said that this was after observations of being unable to maintain traffic lanes and throwing unknown objects out of the vehicle. During the traffic stop, detectives located Tyler McCain's wallet in his back right pocket.

Upon further inspection, detectives located Nikki's California driver's license, which had partial burn damage to it. A records check confirmed Tyler McCain had a suspended driver's license and multiple convictions for driving on a suspended license. By the way, we were able to see those convictions on Tyler McCain's Truth Finder Report. All we had to do was put in his name, location, popped right up. In the criminal history section, you can see how many times he's been arrested and convicted for driving without a valid license. And let me just tell you, Long Crime, I actually partner with TruthFinder. We use it to get details on people involved in our stories. But even if you don't work in true crime, it can be an excellent resource to give

you some peace of mind. Why? Because it's one of the largest public record search services in the United States. And with a paid subscription service, you can get access to unlimited reports about almost anyone. So if you're interested right now, a little side note, you can get 50% off of your first month of confidential background reports. Just go to truthfinder.com slash LC sidebar. So throughout the search for Nikki, online slews have played a very big role. They were sussing out information in possible leads on where Nikki's body might be. But I will tell you, the online community also seemed to aim a lot of their anger over a lack of answers from the sheriff's office. And the sheriff spoke about that during the news conference.

These cases are layered, meticulous, require months of investigation, hundreds and hundreds of personnel hours, not just from investigators, but from law enforcement boots on the ground, from support services, from forensic evidence, all across the board. It is very labor intensive, and it is crucial that all that evidence is collected, preserved, and processed accordingly to make the case. Despite the scrutiny, criticisms, and the incorrect conclusions that people opine, on social media, these detectives and the law enforcement agencies involved continue to work tirelessly on the case. I can tell you that probably every day, with exception of maybe a few, somebody from some agency involved in this investigation was working on the Nikki McCain case.

We have worked on this case over her disappearance. We've used search and rescue. We've used volunteers, friends, family, advocates within the community have all contributed and looked in drainage ditches, properties, rural areas, waterways, trying to locate Nikki for the family and trying to give us that next piece in this case. I understand from the outside for people that are not involved in law enforcement or who are tracking the case, it may seem that sometimes nothing is being done or there's little progress being made. But especially in these public interest cases where emotions run high, people scrutinize and are very quick to judge on what's going on and they want information. They want us to release details. They want to know

what's going on. It's because of the complexity of investigations like this, that that information and the integrity of the details are not released because we need to make it to the finish line like we are here today with an arrest warrant, with a suspect identified, booked into our jail, and we'll continue with a court process, which is crucial that we are able to prove the case and present the evidence and protect that information.

So right now, Tyler is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole if he's convicted of murder. But I want to continue this conversation, and I have two very special guests who are joining me. I am fortunate to be joined now by Nikki's two sisters. We have with us Chloe Saly and Kay Saly Ford, who have worked tirelessly to get Nikki's story out there,

bring us updates to talk about how they and the family are doing right now. They spoke with us on an earlier episode of Sidebar. Thank you both so much for coming on. I know this is not easy, any part of the process. But I mean, this is a huge development. Chloe, I'll start with you. How are you feeling since the announcement of Tyler's arrest? I'm feeling all type of emotions.

I am a little bit relieved because this is one step closer towards justice. But I'm also just really sad because it's just the reality of things. And so it's kind of setting in and it's it's definitely real. I mean, Kay, what do you think about this? He was a part of your family. I mean, did you suspect that he was involved in Nikki's disappearance? This is a major, major development. We were always suspicious of him being involved, but, you know, without an official arrest,

there were still other possibilities. But having and reading about some of the evidence that the detectives have found, and it's hard to think, you know, it's hard to think that, you know, otherwise. So unfortunately, we did have some suspicions that he was involved. So this definitely, unfortunately, confirms it for us. Did you ever, Kay, did you ever see any kind of red flags with him during the relationship personally? Did you witness anything? There were some occasions, but what we have realized is that there was two sides of him,

one that was very charming and very likable and very trustworthy. And that was part of why I was hesitant to immediately assume that he was involved. But I think that even speaks more loudly to who he is as a person where he fooled us. So Nikki Easley was fooled by him and how he had been able to kind of not really shown a ton of guilt for the crime. So it's heartbreaking just because we knew him so well. And, you know, and his children love him. And so it's it's heartbreaking for those around him and those who love him. Chloe, has what have police told you regarding their theory of how he allegedly killed your sister?

I mean, have they given you a theory about what happened in specifics? Is there anything you can share with us? They haven't really given us a theory, but so far they have told us in the media release, of everything that they did find in the evidence. And I think one of the most just heartbreaking evidence that they found was when they found her truck and when law enforcement could smell the overwhelming smell of decomposition. I think that was really hard to read. Chloe, it's interesting you said about the information.

been giving you, giving the public, because there has been a lot of backlash against the sheriff's office. There is this claim of a lack of transparency. The sheriff even spoke about it at the news conference. What has been your reaction to that? I think that I understand everything now. And a little bit in the beginning, too, I did feel like they were keeping a lot from us. I didn't understand. But as everything's unfolding, I understand why they weren't as transparent in the beginning just because to protect the, you know, the integrity of the investigation. And they do work so hard, but I, they don't get enough credit for that, but they are working really, really hard. They have to be very tight-lipped about situations like this

because to protect the investigation. So I think that they have been working very, very hard. It's just they had to keep their, their lips sealed. Okay, as we laid out, this is not just one episode here, this story is about a trail of alleged domestic violence that Nikki was apparently enduring allegedly at the hands of her own husband. How much did you, was that a shock to you when you were hearing about this? Is there anything that you can share about what you knew or might have suspected about this domestic violence, these claims of domestic violence? No, we knew there were arguments. We knew that there were fights and, and, you know, you know, the accusations of infidelity. But we kind of initially kind of assumed they were just

exactly that, like fights. They got through them. When he admitted to having affairs, they reconciled. So we assumed it was just verbal, verbal fights, arguments, things like that, marital things. We didn't realize the extent of the arguments and that they had gotten physical. And I know the more we didn't know about, the more it escalated, the more it became, it became more and more violent. And then when the children are out of the home, I feel that there was less of a reason for them to, I guess for him to keep it at a minimum. I think he felt, yeah, I think it got a lot worse. Chloe, there's what information is being released by law enforcement, and then And there's also what people have been speculating about, right? And the sheriff addressed that,

these theories that have been circulating online, pointing the finger at various groups saying there's been some sort of cover-up, which he said is categorically untrue. What has that been like for you? And how have you been able to parse out credible leads from what is potentially a barrage of misinformation? I trust law enforcement, and it just kind of makes me have a better better filter. I'm like, okay, so these rumors, things that are posted online, those aren't true. And I know that law enforcement's working very hard, so I trust what they shared with us, and we can kind of filter out, okay, so this person is involved and this person's not involved. I want to ask both of you this. You know, Kay, this is a very big development. Now this

is the start of the new chapter, right? This is the start of the legal chapter, the legal process. and assuming he decides to, you know, fight these charges, this could go on for quite some time. How are you and your family doing right now at this point? How are you preparing to move forward as this case moves forward? We're still absorbing the news, and it's, like I said, it's mixed emotions, and we're preparing to see this through, to be there for the long run. And we're just making sure that we are supporting each other through this and that we are talking about not just the trial, but what we're feeling and how we can support each other and how we can utilize the support from friends and family in the community. But we're ready for the fight.

We're in this for the long haul. Chloe, how about yourself? You know, I always say I didn't come this far to only come this far. And if this is what it takes, we're going to keep fighting. Having the community support really helps. And so we're ready. We're ready to go on to the next step. And talking about that, Chloe, I mean, this is such a horrific situation.

And it's not over for a number of reasons. And one of the most tragic aspects about this is that Nikki's body is still out there somewhere. What are the efforts to try to locate her remains? Law enforcement did remind us that they're still going to work very, very hard to try to relocate my sister. Even though we have an arrest, they're going to still keep trying. And there's people in the community that have been helping us volunteer searchers, and they're not giving up. They're still, you know, messaging us and saying, hey, there's the spot that we want to check out. Let's plan a search there.

So we're still working diligently and try to locate. try to locate her body and her remains. Yeah, the sheriff's office says the search for Nikki's body is going to be their top priority and that anybody who has information about the case or where Nicky's remains may be, they're urged to call the Shasta County major crimes unit at the number that we're going to put up there. Authorities are offering $30,000 for any information leading to Nikki's location. Kay, do you have any theories? Have you heard anything?

Do you know if there's any leads, any tips that seem credible at this point? You know, obviously don't have to share them, but do you feel confident that Nikki's body will be recovered? I feel confident that we will recover what happened to her. We've heard many theories, even that her body may not be recoverable. And we're prepared for those types of if that ends up being what happens or what happened. We've heard many different theories, and I think a lot of them, they make sense to us. like it could be a possibility. But I also feel that they may not have expected this, an arrest to have happened with it being a homicide and nobody. So I think people who may know

what happened or who may know where she's located, I think they're feeling the pressure. And I think they know that they, you know, even if they weren't involved, but if they know something, I think they're feeling the confidence to speak up and share what they know. And just to follow up, Kay, do you feel confident in prosecutors securing a conviction here? Because a no-body case quite unique in that area, and it's sometimes not the easiest case to prosecute, but based on what you've seen in this case and your belief about what happened, do you feel confident in prosecutors securing a conviction against Tyler? I do feel confident with that. I know they had to have a good amount of evidence to even consider.

this a homicide without a body and to make an arrest. They have a significant amount of evidence and even the little bit that they released and the press release, I know that there's a lot more evidence to be shared. And I think that they have a strong case, very strong prosecutors and an amazing investigator that's been a detective that's been working on this case from the very beginning. So yeah, I do think that they're going to do a good job. prosecuting the case and we will get the answers that we're looking for now before we wrap things up we talk so much about the legal case I want to put that to the side I want to just for anybody who doesn't know I want you to explain a little

bit more about who Nikki was Chloe I'll start with you for our viewers our listeners what can you share about Nikki your relationship with Nikki what we should know about Nikki Nikki is she's one of seven children she's one of the in the family. Nikki was such a loving, kind person. She always, she always wanted to spread kindness and she was so funny. And she's just that type of person that would do anything for anyone. She was, you know, a person who's always down for whatever you needed. She was always there for you. She was just a very kind person. She was very genuine. And I think that that speaks to how many people have rallied around her. Those who knew her, grew up with her, went to school with

her, friends and family from out of the area. Her energy was very contagious. It was, like I said, very genuine. It was a little, a little naive at times, but it was very genuine. And I think that's still, that energy is so radiating from her. Even those who have never met her are some of the strongest advocates for her. So that is why she has such a strong, so many people supporting her and wanting justice for her because she was such, she touched so many people because of her genuine energy that she shared with people. Sounds like an incredible person. Chloe, Kay, again, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm so sorry you're going through this process. I'm happy to hear that you have a very strong support

system as well, which is going to be important as you go through this. But thank you so much for taking the time to come on here, particularly with this new development. We are going to stay on top of this story. And obviously, you have an open platform to come back on here as this case progresses. But Chloe and Kay, thank you both so much. Thank you, Jesse. Thanks for having us on. And that is all we have for you right now here on Sidebar.

Everybody, thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. One more time. but that's all we and that's all we have for you right now here on sidebar everybody thank you so much for joining us and as always please subscribe on youtube apple podcast Spotify wherever you should get your podcasts i'm jesse weber i'll speak to you next time all right there we go

thank you 20 minutes You can binge all episodes of this long crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.