Nikki Alcaraz, the Tennessee’s mom who went missing during a cross-country roadtrip with boyfriend Tyler Stratton, has been found safe by police in Eureka, California, on Tuesday afternoon. Her brother said Alcaraz’s two kids were “ecstatic” about her return after three weeks that the 33-year-old woman had been missing.
Talking to NewsNation on Tuesday, Josh Alcaraz said that Alcaraz’s daughter “has been a nervous wreck ever since the news happened that she was missing.” He added: “She’s happy. We’re all happy. We’re relieved.”
Investigators are still piecing together what happened since the woman’s disappearance. Alcaraz left home in Tennessee for a road trip with Stratton and a dog, with the plan to travel to Orange County to visit her family. But three weeks ago, on May 6, the woman disappeared in Moriarty, New Mexico, where she was last seen by a family friend.
Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office
Two days before, on May 4, a Torrance County Sheriff’s Department report showed her with a black eye, with a witness saying Stratton had punched her in the face. A family friend reportedly drove to New Mexico hoping to bring Alcaraz to California, but the woman said she was going to find her boyfriend.
Alcaraz’s family had said they believed her to be in danger.
According to local reports, Alcaraz’s boyfriend Stratton has been reportedly arrested, but no details on the arrest were immediately available. Stratton has an unrelated arrest warrant out of Tennessee, tied to a theft charge.
This is a breaking news story and will be later updated.