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Woman Allegedly "Beat Up" by Partner Is Found Safe in Northern California
Nikki Alcaraz's boyfriend, Tyler Stratton, has reportedly been arrested in Northern California.
A woman who was reported missing by her family during a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend has been found safe, officials confirmed.
The Redding Police Department announced on social media that Nikki Alcaraz, 33, whose family reported her missing, made contact with the Eureka Police Department around 4:30 p.m. on May 30. "The Redding Police Department has been in contact with the Moriarty, New Mexico Police Department and confirmed Nikki is no longer considered a missing person," the Facebook post read.
Alcaraz's boyfriend, Tyler Stratton, was arrested and is being held at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility, custody records confirm. No further details were available.
Alcaraz has since made contact with her family members, including brother Josh Alcaraz, who told NewsNation that the family is "relieved."
However, the family is unsure what has transpired since they last spoke to the mother of two, who was traveling from Tennessee to Southern California to visit family. Stratton was accompanying Alcaraz on the road trip, though the pair were separated after they allegedly had a physical altercation in Moriarty, New Mexico on May 4.
An eyewitness allegedly saw Stratton hit Alcaraz, according to a Torrance County Sheriff's Department report cited by KABC. Stratton also told officers that Alcaraz had hit him, causing injuries to his nose and mouth. Both declined to press charges against each other.
Alcaraz later spoke with her sister, Toni Alcaraz, who told KABC that her sister's "eye was already turning black." She added, "You could tell she was beat up pretty bad."
Josh Alcaraz also claimed that his sister had a broken hand or wrist and that she had sustained a traumatic brain injury.
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"He beat her up pretty badly," Josh alleged, according to Fox 10. "A truck driver had to pull him off of her, call the police, the police picked him up, took him a couple exits down and dropped him off."
After their altercation, a family friend drove to New Mexico and planned to accompany Alcaraz on the remainder of her trip to Orange County, according to Alcaraz's family. However, Alcaraz told her friend on May 6 that she couldn't leave without Stratton.
A few days later, she contacted her sister to let her know that she was in Arizona and was back on the road to California, but that was the last message her family received. A license plate reader flagged her black Jeep in Flagstaff May 9. Then, on May 30, she was spotted in Redding, California, located about 10 hours north of Alcaraz's original destination.
During Josh Alcaraz's appearance on NewsNation, Ashleigh Banfield asked if they knew whether the 33-year-old had willingly traveled to Redding with Stratton. "There's still a lot of questions surrounding that," Josh Alcaraz said on NewsNation. "We're still going to try to get to the bottom of all of that when we can get her back."
As for Alcaraz's two children, Josh said, "They're ecstatic. Her daughter, she's been a nervous wreck ever since the news she was missing. She's happy. We're all happy and relieved."
