Missing Woman Nikki Alcaraz Found Alive, Boyfriend Arrested in CA

Local police found Nikki with her boyfriend Tyler Stratton in their Jeep on Tuesday after a sighting of the couple was called in to law enforcement.

Nikki, whose disappearance sparked nationwide concern, reportedly told officers when they found her that she was fine and did not need assistance, per multiple media reports.

Stratton, meanwhile, was arrested on an unrelated charge. It was previously reported he has an arrest warrant back in Tennessee, in connection with a theft charge.

Nikki's brother, Josh Alcaraz, who had been pleading for information about his missing sister for three weeks, told NewsNation on Tuesday that her children were "ecstatic" to learn she had been found.

He said Nikki's daughter had "been a nervous wreck" since her mom went missing and that "She's happy. We're all happy. We're relieved."

He also confirmed that the family had been contact with Nikki and that she claimed to have no idea that the entire country was looking for her.

Josh went on to claim that Stratton would be extradited to Tennessee and he hoped this was the end of his sister's involvement with him. "She really doesn't have a choice at this point," he said. "We've kind of broken that chain, which I think she really needed."

The national fixation on Nikki's disappearance had drawn comparisons to the tragic case of Gabby Petito. Petito had been found dead after going missing on a road trip with her boyfriend two years ago.

Local and national news outlets began covering Nikki after she disappeared on May 6 in Moriarty, New Mexico -- amid her and Stratton's trip across the country to Orange County, California (a destination they apparently never made it to).

A Torrance County Sheriff's Department report showed Nikki with a black eye on May 4, with a witness accusing Stratton of punching Nikki in the face. He claimed, in the report, that he had also been attacked.

Both parties did not press charges and left the station separately.

Nikki was dropped off in Moriarty by law enforcement, where she then called her sister.

"Her eye was already turning black and you could tell she was beat up pretty bad," Toni told ABC7 Eyewitness News.

It's reported a friend of the Alcaraz family drove to New Mexico to pick up Nikki, however on the day they were supposed to depart together she apparently said she had to return to Stratton.

Her sister Toni says she got a text on May 9 from Nikki saying she was in Arizona and was headed to California. Her Jeep, via a license plate reader, was spotted in Flagstaff. By that time police said her phone was out of service.

Meanwhile, her brother Josh told ABC at the time, "I immediately tried calling her and it went straight to voicemail. I sent texts that are still undelivered. She always has her phone so that's when it was really concerning."

The next sighting would be in Redding, California at a Walmart on Saturday May 27. A photo was taken as she reportedly sold her phone at an EcoATM, per Cheatham County Sheriff's Department.

Redding Police Department announced in a statement on Tuesday that Nikki had been "found safe" in Eureka and said they had been in contact with other law enforcement departments across the country and could confirm "Nikki is no longer considered a missing person."

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