Family members of missing Johnson City woman plead for answers
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Cayla Nickles has been missing since Jan. 23 when she left her home on Cash Hollow Road in Johnson City. Since then, Washington County, Tennessee Sheriff deputies and family members have been searching for her.
Lt. Wes McKinney with the Washington County Sherriff's Office (WCSO) said Nickles was reported missing in the early morning hours of Jan. 23.
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'She walked outside,' McKinney said. 'It was the coldest night of the winter. She was seen by a roommate walking outside. When she did return, they went out to check on her and couldn't find her. After searching for a couple of hours, they called 911 and reported her missing.'
McKinney said they've had no viable leads and are concerned for her safety.
'When she left, she left her phone. She didn't take anything with her. No form of communication, no form of currency. Basically, she left completely empty handed and nobody's had any contact with her since she left. That's the reason for our concern.'
The WCSO has done multiple grid searches around the Cash Hollow Road area. They've utilized drones and canines in the searches as well.
McKinney said they've checked Nickles' frequented locations and her friends' homes but all have led to a dead end.
'Our hope is that she did get into a vehicle with someone or that she did go to someone's home. But at this point, we have no evidence to support that. As cold as it was that night, obviously our fear is that being out in the elements could be dangerous to her.'
McKinney told News Channel 11 that they don't have any evidence that Nickles has tried to use any bank accounts or form of payments since being missing.
'On the daily, we are constantly following up with her friends, checking for any tips via social media or internet website. For the last couple of weeks, since she's been missing, we've pretty much had an investigator at the home where she went missing every day just to check because it is a large area. There's a large wooded area there.'
Beth Necessary is like a mom to Nickles. She and other family members have been searching several areas.
'The Washington County Sheriff's Office, they've done a tremendous job,' Necessary said. 'They've had drones, dogs. It's either them or me. One of us is there before the other. The walking you know, the looking. I don't understand. I just want her to come home.'
Necessary said it's very unlike Nickles to leave with no contact.
Nickles has two sons, one is only 9 years old.
'I don't see her going anywhere without her son,' Necessary said. 'I mean, he is her heart. I just don't understand what's going on. I don't know where she's at.'
The last time Necessary and other family members heard from Nickles was on a FaceTime call before her disappearance.
Nickles' sisters remember talking to her.
'She seemed okay,' Tatiyona Necessary, Nickles' sister, said. 'Like she seemed like she was getting better. I enjoyed talking to her that day.'
'We miss her. We really, really hope that she is safe. She has impacted our family a lot, and we really do just genuinely want her home,' Tatiyona Necessary said.
Margaret Nickles has helped her mother search for her sister in both the Cash Hollow Rd. area and the Cherokee area in Johnson City.
'We just want to know she's okay; we just want her to come back to her son,' Margaret Nickles said.
Jeremiah Keplinger, Nickles' 9-year-old son, misses his mom and hopes she returns safely home.
'When I heard of it, I just started crying,' Keplinger said. 'Like, a few days later after that, Todd died, my uncle.'
'I was like, she might be in the forest because the forest is nearby with all the trees and stuff. I don't really know that much more. I know people have been looking for her, they've had hound dogs and German Shepherd's and the cops are looking for her and she must be in a good hiding spot because nobody's found her.'
Keplinger wants his mom to know that he needs her.
'Please come back to Joe Joe. I will call you more often and a lot a lot more.'
Nickles' mom agrees.
'I have her son and he cries at night,' Beth Necessary said. 'He's acting out in school, you know, he just wants his mom as well as I want my daughter back. I mean, if anybody, any I don't care where, what time. If anybody sees her, just contact me or contact the Washington County Sheriff's [Office] and I'll be there. I don't care what time it is, what day, it doesn't matter. I will be there.'
'My gut feeling does tell me that some of her friends do know where she's at, to just let us know she's okay. I mean, we've put in time out here. Washington County Sheriff's [Office] is putting time. If they know where she's at, just let us know. Let us know that she's okay. Let us know that she's alive. You know, give us hope for her son.'
Mckinney said to call the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 423-788-1414 if you have any tips about Cayla Nickles. You can also submit tips on their Facebook page and website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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