Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain, a 39-year-old Happy Valley resident, disappeared more than two-and-a-half months ago. She is still missing.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office are the lead North State agencies investigating Saelee-McCain’s disappearance.
Story recap
On May 18, Saelee-McCain texted her sister Chloe Saelee at about 12:35 a.m. Saelee-McCain’s brief text said she was driving a truck that belonged to her mother-in-law Jeanette Hayward.
As previously reported by A News Café, Hayward lives on the Redding Rancheria near the Win-River Casino, and is a Redding Rancheria tribal member.
Saelee-McCain had accompanied her mother-in-law to the hospital to visit Hayward’s son – Saelee-McCain’s brother-in-law – Brian McCain, who was hospitalized because of an emergency.
The text message Saelee-McCain sent to her sister was the last known communication she had with anyone.
According to some Saelee family members, they are in communication a minimum of once a week with an SCSO investigator who’s been assigned to the case.
Saelee sisters, from left: Kaye Ford, Nikki McCain, Mey Martin, Chloe Saelee. Photo courtesy of the Saelee family.
However, Saelee family members also say they’ve repeatedly been told by law enforcement officials that because Saelee-McCain’s disappearance is part of an ongoing investigation, law enforcement officials have few details to disclose to the family regarding what the SCSO is doing to find Saelee-McCain, or any leads that the SCSO may be investigating regarding Saelee-McCain’s disappearance.
Felony domestic violence charges
Saelee-McCain went missing while she was involved in an allegedly abusive relationship with her husband, 39-year-old Tyler McCain.
Saelee-McCain and McCain have been married for 16 years. They have four children.
Nikki Saelee-McCain and her husband Tyler McCain.
Saelee-McCain was hospitalized in December of 2023 after allegedly being assaulted by McCain in their Happy Valley home. SCSO Deputy Gerry Maul arrested McCain after meeting with Saelee-McCain at the hospital.
As previously reported by A News Café, Deputy Maul’s incident report noted that Saelee-McCain had been violently assaulted by McCain, who, according to Saelee-McCain, physically attacked her over the course of several hours in their home before she escaped.
McCain was arrested by the SCSO and charged with four felonies, which included a felony domestic violence charge, along with a false imprisonment charge, and a terroristic threats charge.
As previously reported by A News Café, some neighbors witnessed Saelee-McCain and McCain fighting at their home on several occasions over the last few years.
A source who wishes to remain anonymous to avoid possible retaliation reportedly witnessed the couple fighting not long before Saelee-McCain disappeared. The source claimed hearing McCain once yell at Saelee-McCain that he was going to kill her.
While still hospitalized, Saelee-McCain also reported to Deputy Maul that she thought her husband was going to kill her during the attack.
Two fires under investigation
As previously reported, on July 3 a fire ripped through a portion of McCain and Saelee-McCain’s 3.5-acre Happy Valley property. The Olinda Fire — as it came to be called by Cal Fire — burned 98 acres. Although the Olinda Fire did not damage or destroy any homes, it did lead to some nearby evacuations.
Tyler McCain speaks with a firefighter on his property on July 3, 2024.
The fire also destroyed several vehicles allegedly belonging to McCain, who claimed the fire was sparked by a hot catalytic converter that came into contact with dry grass. McCain was cited for starting the fire, but was not arrested.
According to Cal Fire, the cause of the Olinda Fire is still under investigation.
The Yolla Fire
On July 2, the day before McCain caused the Olinda Fire, the Yolla Fire burned 19 acres next to a remote residential property in western Shasta County.
According to Cal Fire, the Yolla Fire took place near the intersection of Yolla Bolly and Wintun Road – two dirt roads off of Platina Road roughly 16 miles from where Saelee-McCain’s truck was found off Highway 36.
A Google map screenshot that shows where Yolla Fire occurred (pin) and where Saelee-McCain’s truck was located (red dot.]
Platina Road connects to Highway 36 near where Nikki’s truck was found in Tehama County.
Exclusive information regarding another fire on McCain family property
A News Café has confirmed that the 40-acre property — the only land between Wintun Road where the Yolla Fire took place and Yolla Bolly Road — is owned by Tyler McCain’s cousin, Tara Webb, and her husband Joshua Webb. The Webbs reside in a home located on that parcel of land.
Tara Webb’s mother, Michelle Hayward, is Tyler McCain’s aunt. As recently as 2022 Hayward served as the Vice Chair of the Redding Rancheria’s Tribal Council.
Hayward is now a 2nd Alternate to the Tribal Council. Her LinkedIn profile says she works as the Self Governance Coordinator at the Redding Rancheria Indian Health Clinic.
A News Café is the first media organization to break the news that the Yolla Fire took place next to property owned by members of Tyler McCain’s family.
It is feasible that the Yolla Fire burned a rear portion of the Webbs’ property where it borders Wintun Road.
Similar to the Olinda Fire, Cal Fire describes on its webpage the cause of the Yolla Fire as “under investigation.”
One of the sources who’d participated in the Saelee-McCain search parties said Yolla Bolly Road had been among the areas searched.
The same source reported that the Yolla Fire occurred around the same time the search party had planned to search the area around where Yolla Bolly Road and Wintun Road intersect, but that the fire prevented them from conducting that search.
Back story regarding domestic violence pleas, court cases
On May 7, McCain pleaded not guilty to the four felony domestic violence charges leveled against him for reportedly assaulting Nikki.
Saelee-McCain went missing 11 days after the May 7 court hearing regarding the domestic violence charges against Tyler. She reportedly told one of her sisters around the time of the May 7 court date that she planned to divorce McCain.
On June 28, more than one month after Saelee-McCain went missing, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Daniel Flynn continued the domestic violence hearing until July 5 to give the prosecution more time to find Saelee-McCain, or secure additional evidence to support the felony charges against McCain.
Tyler McCain flips off protesters as he walks by Nikki’s sister Chloe Saelee on his way to the Shasta County Superior Courthouse on June 28, 2023.
District Attorney dismisses case
On July 5, 2024, two days after the Olinda Fire — the blaze started by Tyler McCain at his and Saelee-McCain’s Happy Valley home — Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett announced through a press release that her office had decided to dismiss without prejudice – meaning charges can be refiled at a later date – all four of the felony domestic violence charges against McCain stemming from his Dec. 2023 arrest.
Bridgett said the DA’s office dismissed the case because Nikki had not been located, and her presence was necessary to move forward with the case.
McCain’s most recent arrest
As previously reported, McCain has a history of brushes with the law. In the most recent development, McCain was arrested on the evening of July 31 after he was pulled over in front of the Westwood Village Rite Aid in Redding. McCain was accompanied by a woman who looked like his mother, Jeanette Hayward.
McCain was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for driving with a suspended license and a misdemeanor for violating a court order. He was also charged with an infraction for not being able to provide officers with valid proof of registration for the vehicle he was driving.
McCain’s previous legal restrictions related to domestic violence charges banned him from possessing firearms or ammunition. When officers searched his vehicle on July 31, they found ammunition.
Record pertaining to McCain’s July 31 arrest.
McCain’s suspended license stems from a 2020 DUI. He was also arrested for driving with a suspended license in May of 2023. A News Café previously reported that McCain had been frequently spotted driving in the greater Redding area.
McCain was booked into the Shasta County Jail and was bailed out during the early morning hours of August 1.
McCain’s most recent court hearing pertaining to his arrest for driving with a suspended license was scheduled for August 2. However, the hearing never happened, because it was dropped from the calendar. Tyler’s settlement hearing for his driving violations is scheduled for August 19.
A News Café spoke with a local attorney who said it is rare for a car to be impounded by law enforcement officers, even if someone if caught driving with a suspended license on multiple occasions. The attorney told A News Café that driving with suspended license is typically a cite-and-release offense.
Search warrant served at Redding Rancheria home
In addition to discovering evidence that shows that the Yolla Fire started next to McCain’s cousin’s remote backcountry home, A News Café has also confirmed that a June 25 search warrant served at a Redding Rancheria home as part of what the SCSO described as an “ongoing investigation,” involved McCain’s cousin, 39-year-old Larry Fultz, aka “Chunner”. Fultz and Tara Webb are siblings. Their mother is former Redding Rancheria Vice Chair Michelle Hayward.
Pictures of Larry “Chunner” Fultz.
The record pertaining to Fultz’s arrest.
Fultz’s truck being towed away from his home after it was confiscated by the SCSO.
On June 25, Fultz’s 2022 dark blue Chevy Silverado truck was confiscated by the SCSO and removed from his Redding Rancheria Drive residence.
Fultz was subsequently arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for illegally possessing an assault weapon, a misdemeanor for the manufacturing/sale of a large-capacity magazine, and a felony for being a felon/addict in possession of a firearm.
The SCSO did not release any information regarding the “on-going” investigation that led to Fultz’s arrest.
There was some insider speculation that Fultz’s arrest could have been linked to the recent death of his 2-year-old niece who had been placed into his care.
Several people have made public accusations on social media that the 2-year-old in Fultz’s care died in Fultz’s home after coming into contact with fentanyl.
Others dispute that the child died from coming into contact with fentanyl, saying instead that the 2-year-old died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – a very rare occurrence for child over the age of 1-years-old.
Michelle Hayward with her adult children, Larry Fultz and Tara Webb, in what appears to be Win-River Casino. Source: Facebook
A picture of firearms shared by Larry Fultz on his Facebook page that was provided to A News Café.
Chunner’s animal cruelty charges
Fultz was previously arrested in 2011, while in his late 20’s, for animal cruelty and parole violations when CHP officers and RPD officers, following a tip on unlicensed dog breeding going on in a Cottonwood home on the 17400 block of Marianas Way, found 13 sick pit bulls and one dead puppy in Fultz’s care.
The home smelled so atrocious and was so filthy that investigators struggled to walk through the home without being overwhelmed by the stench from animals that pervaded the home.
Following the investigation of the home and the animals, Fultz was arrested and held in Shasta County Jail without bail.
Fultz pleaded no contest to misdemeanor animal cruelty charges in exchange for a 90-day jail sentence. He now breeds and sells exotic pit bulls out of his Redding Rancheria home.
According to news reports at the time, Shasta County Animal Control had dealt with Fultz on numerous occasions before his 2011 arrest, dating back to 2005.
Fultz was previously known to own pit bulls that ran loose and caused problems. One of the pit bulls was given up by Fultz to law enforcement because of its aggressive demeanor. The dog was euthanized in 2006.
Volunteer search parties
Since Saelee-McCain was first reported missing, search party volunteers composed of concerned citizens continue to invest many hours on their quest to find Saelee-McCain.
One person who has been heavily involved with the search parties who wishes to remain anonymous to protect their safety told A News Café they did not want to disclose most of the locations they’ve searched for Saelee-McCain.
However, the source did say a search party thoroughly combed the area along Highway 36 where Saelee-McCain’s truck was located one week after she went missing.
An additional source who also wishes to remain anonymous to protect their identity told A News Café they participated in numerous search parties looking for Saelee-McCain along Highway 36 and the Bowman Road area. The source said they planned three search parties and participated in an additional six or seven on different days, without success.
Posters about Saelee-McCain’s disappearance are displayed around Shasta County. Photo Credit: Angela Christine.
Two sources who participated in the search parties said they did not witness any SCSO efforts to find Saelee-McCain during their multiple searches, adding that the volunteer search parties had no communication with the SCSO during the volunteer searches.
Sheriff’s office has released scant information
The SCSO has released few details regarding the case. The only public media statement from the the SCSO was released on May 30, nearly two weeks after Saelee-McCain disappeared.
The press release stated that Saelee-McCain was considered a missing person. It also provided a brief physical description of Saelee-McCain, and requested the public’s assistance to help locate her. The media release also disclosed that Saelee-McCain’s truck had been found in Tehama County on June 25, without revealing the truck’s location.
Search party volunteers question the SCSO
A source who spoke with A News Café who has participated in numerous search parties looking for Saelee-McCain, and who requested to be referred to as Charles M., said he fears that the SCSO is too understaffed to undertake a serious missing person investigation.
“They weren’t prepared for there to be such a huge outpouring of community support in this case, and they haven’t had a moment to breathe since,” he said.
“That being said … if they wanted their jobs to be even just a little easier, a simple press conference could have made that happen.”
Conversely, an additional source who spoke with A News Café who wished to remain anonymous to protect their safety — who has also participated in the search parties looking for Saelee-McCain and who helped organize the Justice for Nikki Facebook group page — told A News Café they believe the SCSO is doing whatever it can within its power to do what’s right.
The source, however, also wondered why the SCSO hasn’t released any public statements to update the community, especially Saelee-McCain’s family.
“I do understand that it could jeopardize the investigation, but any sort of information, and it doesn’t even need to be specifics, it would be just nice to know, ” the source said. “It would also let the public know that they are working on the case diligently.”
A News Café’s multiple records requests
On July 9, July 22 and July 31 A News Café emailed public records requests to the SCSO regarding McCain and Saelee-McCain. Specifically requested were all available records regarding any arrests of McCain, or charges brought against McCain that occurred before his arrest for domestic violence allegations in December of 2023, as well as any updates regarding the search for Saelee-McCain.
A July 15 statement from the SCSO reported the SCSO had found records responsive to A News Cafe’s request, but they were being withheld because they were under review with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, and therefore not releasable.
Following A News Cafe’s follow-up July 22 email requesting information regarding the status of the Saelee-McCain investigation, the SCSO responded with the following emailed statement:
“The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office continues to actively investigate the Missing Persons case of Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain. Anyone with information is urged to call the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (530) 245-6135 or by email at MCU@shastacounty.gov”.
In response to A News Cafe’s July 31 email seeking updates about the Saelee-McCain investigation, on Aug. 5 Tim Mapes, SCSO Public Information Officer/Community Education Specialist, provided the following statement:
“The Missing Person case of Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain remains active and detectives with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit continue to work diligently on the investigation. Further details of steps being taken by investigators, including allocated resources, are not being released to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
Shasta County District Attorney: No new details to share
In a statement provided to A News Café, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said significant resources have been dedicated to Saelee-McCain’s missing person investigation and the domestic violence case.
“My office has one Deputy District Attorney assigned to her domestic violence case, a Senior Deputy District Attorney to the missing person’s case, and a Chief Deputy District Attorney is overseeing all work being done on both,” said Bridgett.
As of July 31, Bridgett’s office did not have any new details to share with A News Café.
The SCSO, the Redding Rancheria, and Kingsman Philanthropic have donated a combined reward amount of $30,000 for information that leads to helping find Saelee-McCain.
Poster announces Nikki Saelee-McCain’s disappearance and the reward for information that leads to finding her.
Uncertainty, frustration, fear overwhelm Saelee-McCain family
As the search for Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain approaches the three-month mark, Saelee-McCain’s family and concerned community members continue to wonder, worry and seek answers regarding what happened to Saelee-McCain.
Despite her family’s frustration and nearly unspeakable fears, Saelee-McCain’s family remains hopeful that law enforcement officials are doing everything humanly possible to locate Saelee-McCain.
Meanwhile, until Saelee-McCain is located, her family and concerned citizens continue to search for her and follow up on rumors, leads, and even online strangers’ dreams, psychic declarations and tips, no matter how far fetched. They continue to print and post flyers throughout the North State to spread the news about Saelee-McCain’s disappearance. Online sleuths continue to speculate, research and dig up details that might shed light on Saelee-McCain’s disappearance.
So many questions remain unanswered. But there’s one thing Saelee-McCain’s family, friends, community members and neighbors all know for certain: Although they don’t know what happened to Saelee-McCain, or where she is, somebody does.
