Nikki Alcaraz's Brother Speaks Out After Missing Mom Found Safe: 'Ecstatic'

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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The family of Nikki Alcaraz, the Tennessee mom who went missing during a road trip with her boyfriend, have said they are "ecstatic" that she was found safe by police in Eureka, California, on Tuesday afternoon.

The 33-year-old, who has two children, had been missing for three weeks. Her brother Josh Alcaraz told NewsNation on Tuesday that the children were delighted. Her daughter had "been a nervous wreck," he added. "She's happy. We're all happy. We're relieved."

Nikki Alcaraz and her boyfriend Tyler Stratton left Tennessee for a cross-country road trip, planning to visit her family in Orange County. She was last seen on May 6 by a family friend in Moriarty, New Mexico.

Missing person Nikki Alcaraz
Nikki Alcaraz, also known as Nikki Cunningham, was found safe by police on Tuesday afternoon. The 33-year-old had been missing for three weeks. Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office

Two days earlier, on May 4, body cam video released by Torrance County Sheriff's Department in New Mexico showed her with a black eye. A witness alleged that Stratton had punched her in the face.

The sheriff's office said the couple had had a fight at a rest stop along I-40 after both had been drinking. Stratton, who had dried blood on his mouth and nose, accused Alcaraz of hitting him unprovoked. Alcaraz said the same about Stratton.

A family friend reportedly drove to New Mexico, hoping to bring the mom of two to California, but Alcaraz said on May 6 that she was going to find her boyfriend.

On May 8, she sent a text to her sister Toni Alcaraz saying she was in Arizona and was going to drive on to California. This was her last contact with her family.

On May 27, a surveillance photo appeared to show the 33-year-old in a Walmart in Redding, California, where she was reportedly trying to sell her phone at an EcoATM, according to KABC.

Alcaraz's family had said they believed her to be in danger. "It's not like her to not reach out to anybody, especially her kids," Josh Alcaraz told KABC.

Police in Redding have not provided further details on Alcaraz's condition, saying only that she was "found safe" and is "no longer considered a missing person."

Local reports said Stratton had been arrested, but further details were not available.

He has an unrelated arrest warrant in Cheatham County, Tennessee. It "was issued by the judge for failing to appear in court," Lt Kenneth Miller of Cheatham County Sheriff's Office told Newsweek. "I am not at liberty to release if he has a criminal history beyond that."

Josh Alcaraz told NewsNation that Stratton would be extradited to Tennessee and his sister would not have a choice about standing by him. "She really doesn't have a choice at this point. We've kind of broken that chain, which I think she really needed," he said.

Newsweek has contacted Redding Police Department for comment.

Update 05/31/23 4:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to provide more details.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more