California mom of four vanishes in same spot where Sherri Papini staged kidnapping
A California mom-of-four disappeared in the same town where Sherri Papini staged her kidnapping - and her family believes she 'may not be here anymore' after three months without contact.
Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, 39, of Redding, California, was reported missing by her sister on May 21 after she hadn't been able to contact her for four days.
She was last spotted visiting one of her husband Tyler McCain's family members at a hospital, according to The US Sun.
The family believes McCain's husband, Tyler McCain, may have something to do with her disappearance, but police have not named him as a suspect.
McCain disappeared from the same town that Sherri Papini famously staged her kidnapping in 2016, disappearing for three weeks before reappearing on Thanksgiving with a crazy tale.
![Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, 39, of Redding, California, was reported missing by her sister on May 21 after she hadn't been able to contact her for four days](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/15/21/88575325-13747947-Nikki_Cheng_Saelee_McCain_39_of_Redding_California_was_reported_-a-1_1723753838569.jpg)
Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, 39, of Redding, California, was reported missing by her sister on May 21 after she hadn't been able to contact her for four days
![She (pictured with her husband) was last spotted visiting one of her husband Tyler McCain's family members at a hospital. The family believes McCain's husband may have something to do with disappearance, but police have not named him as a suspect](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/15/21/88575329-13747947-image-a-18_1723752471785.jpg)
She (pictured with her husband) was last spotted visiting one of her husband Tyler McCain's family members at a hospital. The family believes McCain's husband may have something to do with disappearance, but police have not named him as a suspect
What tipped off the sisters' suspicions was the change in Tyler's text messages. The couple had fought many times before and the mother of four even pressed domestic violence charges against him, which were dropped on July 5 due to the fact McCain did not up in court.
Normally, when McCain would leave for a few days after a fight, Tyler would contact her sisters and tell them to: 'Tell her I love her. Tell her I'm sorry,' but this time he didn't, they told The US Sun.
Instead, he texted: 'I think she's missing. I don't know I think she's missing.'
'So his response was different than normal, and that was definitely a factor for us in starting to worry,' Kaye Ford, McCain's sister, told the British outlet.
They've had limited contact with the alleged abuser since, but that hasn't lessened any of their worry.
'I feel like Nikki may not be here anymore,' McCain's other sister, Chloe Saelee, told The US Sun. 'She wouldn't just walk off and leave. She was so excited for a fresh start and she was taking all these steps and planning for her and her kids' futures.
'Nikki didn't deserve this. And while it may be too late to turn back time, it's not too late to do the right thing,' she continued. 'We are all hurting right now, but her children deserve to know the truth and her children deserve to see whoever did this to her is behind bars and won't be able to hurt them or anyone else.'
![Normally, when McCain (right, with sister) would leave for a few days after a fight, Tyler would contact her sisters and tell them to: 'Tell her I love her. Tell her I'm sorry,' but this time he didn't. Instead, he texted: 'I think she's missing. I don't know I think she's missing.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/15/21/88575339-13747947-image-m-28_1723753128038.jpg)
Normally, when McCain (right, with sister) would leave for a few days after a fight, Tyler would contact her sisters and tell them to: 'Tell her I love her. Tell her I'm sorry,' but this time he didn't. Instead, he texted: 'I think she's missing. I don't know I think she's missing.'
![On May 25, police found her Chevrolet Avalanched abandoned in a remote location in Tehama County](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/15/21/88575071-13747947-image-a-20_1723752494110.jpg)
On May 25, police found her Chevrolet Avalanched abandoned in a remote location in Tehama County
The last text Saelee got from her sister was letting her know she was leaving the hospital to drop off her mother-in-law's vehicle at their residence in Redding Rancheria, a Native American reservation. She was going to catch a ride home with some of her husband's friends afterwards, she said.
The pair continued to text throughout the night, but by the early hours of May 18, McCain stopped answering her, she told The US Sun.
At that stage the sisters weren't worried as their group chat often goes days without use, but after Tyler said he hadn't heard from either, Saelee filed a police report with the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and the Redding Police Department.
On May 25, police found her Chevrolet Avalanched abandoned in a remote location in Tehama County.
Weeks after her disappearance, Tyler had his court appearance for his felony domestic violence cases - charges he picked up after he allegedly severally injured his wife in a three-hour attack in December.
An officer recorded that McCain had 'blackened' and 'swollen' eyes and that facial trauma.
![Weeks after her disappearance, Tyler had his court appearance for his felony domestic violence cases - charges he picked up after he allegedly severally injured his wife in a three-hour attack in December](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/15/21/88575347-13747947-image-m-24_1723752547132.jpg)
Weeks after her disappearance, Tyler had his court appearance for his felony domestic violence cases - charges he picked up after he allegedly severally injured his wife in a three-hour attack in December
![Tyler allegedly bound his wife with tape, tried to wrap something around her throat, pulled her hair, and told her he 'intended to kill her,' police documents said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/15/21/88575077-13747947-image-m-27_1723752581991.jpg)
Tyler allegedly bound his wife with tape, tried to wrap something around her throat, pulled her hair, and told her he 'intended to kill her,' police documents said
Tyler allegedly bound his wife with tape, tried to wrap something around her throat, pulled her hair, and told her he 'intended to kill her,' police documents, viewed by The US Sun, said.
When asked who did this to her, she told them Tyler had. He told police he thought she had been in a fight with another woman and that she was having an affair with a woman.
Police had been called to their home on various occasions, which eventually resulted in their children becoming wards of the state, The US Sun reported.
Despite her sisters' constant pleas, McCain never left her toxic husband because she 'never wanted to be the bad guy' and didn't want to 'be the reason her family broke apart,' they told the tabloid.
Several times they helped her start working with a facility for women, but she never fully got through the process as she would 'go back' to Tyler.
'It always worried me because she never wanted to make police reports when these things happened,' Saelee told The US Sun. 'It worried me every time she returned home. I told her, 'I'm starting to see a pattern here, and I think it's a cycle.
'We were all very worried for her, but she kept deciding to go back.'
Tyler was arrested earlier this month after being pulled over for an alleged traffic violation, where deputies found ammunition in his car, which violated his criminal protective order and got him arrested.'
Redding Rancheria, where McCain was believed to last be seen, and others are offering a $30,000 reward for information about her disappearance.