Husband of missing California mother of four arrested on murder charge
Detectives arrested Tyler McCain and booked him into the county jail on one count of murder.
Prosecutors said they will also seek a special circumstance allegation, accusing him of killing his wife — the mother of their four children — to stop her from testifying in a domestic violence case.
He is being held without bail.
Nikki was last seen on May 18, 2024.
Investigators said her phone last connected to the network at her Anderson home that morning, when she was with her husband.
Days later, her Chevy Avalanche was found abandoned near the Shasta-Tehama county line. Prosecutors said the vehicle's covered bed contained a strong odor of decomposition and a blood-stained sheet later confirmed to contain Nikki's DNA.
According to prosecutors, a confidential informant reported that McCain admitted to killing his wife during a domestic violence incident.
In March, detectives — working with the FBI and Homeland Security — reclassified the case as a homicide after searching the couple's home.
Nikki's body has not been found, but prosecutors said California law does not require a body to file a murder charge.
Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie A. Bridgett said her office will also refile domestic violence charges from 2023 that were previously dismissed.
'The dismissal of the domestic violence case was necessary because we would not have been able to prove the case without her testimony, without also having to prove that Tyler McCain caused Nikki's disappearance,' Bridgett said.
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