A woman of Hispanic origin who has been missing since the beginning of the month in the middle of a road trip with her boyfriend that began in Tennessee would be safe.
Nikki Alcaraz, 33, was spotted Saturday at a Walmart store in Redding, California, authorities said.
Initially, Alcaraz, who was in the company of her partner Steven Tyler Stratton, was reported missing to the New Mexico Police Department.
A statement yesterday afternoon from the Redding Police Department reported that Alcaraz is no longer considered missing.
“On May 30, 2023, at about 4:30 PM, the Redding Police Department learned that Nikki Alcaraz, a missing person, was contacted by the Eureka Police Department and located safely. The Redding Police Department has been in contact with the Police Department in Moriarty, New Mexico and confirmed that Nikki is no longer considered a missing person. The Redding Police Department wants to thank our partners from allied agencies who helped us with the efforts to locate Nikki…”, read the message on the Facebook account.
Despite the update, it is not known where exactly the woman is at the moment.
Tyler Stratton was allegedly arrested, but the details of his arrest are also not known.
The couple were traveling in a black 2013 Jeep Wrangler with Tennessee license plate BGL3539 bound for Orange County, California, where the woman’s uncle resides.
It is not clear where they were during the weeks in which he lost track or where they were staying.
Alcaraz was captured by security cameras selling her phone at a Walmart EcoATM, according to images provided by authorities. The woman was accompanied by a man who is seen standing next to her.
Prior to these images, officers took photos of Alcaraz in which she appears with bruises on one eye and one arm. The material is part of an investigation by the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico that intervened with the couple for a violent incident on May 4. The couple was detained at a rest stop.
The woman told officers that they were both drinking when the man allegedly started hitting her for no reason. Alcaraz alleged that she also had bruises on her chest and back. Supposedly, the marks on her arm were due to Tyler Stratton holding her to avoid being hit.
Tyler Stratton told police that Alcaraz punched him in the mouth for no reason and continued to assault him while he was driving. Investigators determined that both parties engaged in violence. Although, in principle, Alcaraz told the Police that he wanted to continue with the charges, both dropped their intention.
Keep reading:
Nikki Alcaraz, who has disappeared since the beginning of the month in the middle of a “road trip” in the US with her boyfriend, appears in a photo with a black eye after police intervention in New Mexico