Police in Eureka, California, report that missing Cheatham County woman ‘Nikki Alcaraz’ has been found safe.
“On May 30, 2023, at around 4:30 P.M., the Redding Police Department learned Missing Person Nikki Alcaraz was contacted earlier today by the Eureka Police Department and found to be safe.”
“The Redding Police Department has been in contact with the Moriarty, New Mexico Police Department and confirmed Nikki is no longer considered a missing person. The Redding Police Department would like to thank our allied agency partners who assisted with efforts to locate Nikki. Photographs from the original post have been removed out of respect for the involved,” police said.
For several weeks, Alcaraz was out of communication with her family, her family was scared for her safety.
Her disappearance garnered national attention as her family and law enforcement tracked her movement across the country.
Authorities released photos showing Ms Alcaraz with a black eye, cuts on her face and severe bruising on her arms after the alleged assault.
“He beat her up pretty badly,” her brother Josh Alcaraz told Fox5.
“A truck driver had to pull him off of her, call the police, the police picked him up, took him a couple exits down and dropped him off. She was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, and a broken hand or wrist.”
Las Angeles Times:
In New Mexico, a Torrance County sheriff’s deputy called to investigate the incident on May 4 noted that Stratton had a bloody nose and Alcaraz had red marks on her arms and face, according to a police report. A witness reported seeing Stratton strike Alcaraz, according to the report.
Alcaraz and Stratton appeared intoxicated when the deputy arrived, and Stratton said they were both drinking whiskey and beer, said the deputy. Both declined to press charges, according to the report.
The deputy observed blood inside and outside their Jeep, possibly from Stratton’s bloody nose, according to the deputy’s report.
“It was determined that both parties were mutual combatants while traveling down the interstate,” the deputy wrote. “The bruise on Ms. Alcaraz’s arms came from Mr. Stratton holding her down to avoid being hit.”
But on Saturday, Alcaraz was seen in a Walmart store in Redding, about 120 miles from the Oregon border, according to the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office.
A camera at an EcoATM kiosk captured an image of Alcaraz at the Redding Walmart, where she reportedly sold her phone. In the photo, Alcaraz is standing next to a man identified as Stratton, according to Cheatham County sheriff’s officials.
The Redding Police Department said Alcaraz was no longer considered a missing person.
Alcaraz contacted her sister on Tuesday after she was found by police in Eureka, according to her cousin Lonnie Alcaraz.
She was with Stratton and told police she was safe and didn’t need help, according to a news release from the Eureka Police Department.
Credit: Los Angeles Times, ABC News, Independent, USA Today