A woman who left on a cross-country trip from Tennessee and was reported missing by her family after a domestic dispute in New Mexico was spotted in Northern California over the weekend, according to her family.
Nikki Alcaraz, 33, left her home in Cheatham County, Tenn., with her boyfriend and a dog earlier this month in her black Jeep Wrangler. The couple planned to drive to Alcaraz’s relative’s home in Orange County, , but her family lost contact with her after she was allegedly beaten by her boyfriend, her family told KABC-TV in Los Angeles.
Alcaraz told her family that she and her boyfriend, Tyler Stratton, got into a fight at a truck stop near Albuquerque, relatives said. Alcaraz shared photos with her family of bruises on her arms and a black eye, they said.
A missing person poster for Nikki Alcaraz.
(Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office)
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.
Both appeared intoxicated when the deputy arrived and Stratton said they were both drinking whiskey and beer, but neither admitted to driving the Jeep that was parked nearby, said the deputy. Both eventually declined to press charges, according to the report. Alcaraz was driven by authorities to Moriarty, N.M., and Stratton was taken to a nearby town, the report said.
The deputy observed blood inside and outside the 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 in his report. “The bruise on Ms. Alcaraz’s arms came from Mr. Stratton holding her down to avoid being hit.”
Alcaraz’s family told Nashville station WKRN-TV that a friend drove from California to New Mexico to retrieve Alcaraz on May 6, but she refused to leave without Stratton.
That was the last time she was seen, according to family members who added she has not answered calls to her cellphone. In her last text message, on May 8, she told her sister that she was in Arizona and planned to continue to Orange County, according to her family.
Her brother, Josh Alcaraz, believes his sister is in danger.
“It’s not like her to not reach out to anybody, especially her kids,” Josh Alcaraz told KABC.
The latest contact with her family was when she was several hundred miles north of Orange County.
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 Department.
An image captured Saturday by an EcoATM kiosk in a Redding Walmart is believed to show Nikki Alcaraz with her boyfriend Tyler Stratton.
(EcoATM)
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.
Sheriff’s Lt. Ken Miller said in an interview that the department was not currently investigating Alcaraz’s status and she is only listed as missing. She left Cheatham County willingly, Miller said, but Tennessee law enforcement officials are in contact with authorities in Redding and New Mexico.
Redding police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
“If anyone does make contact with her, they are encouraged to call law enforcement,” Miller said. “We just want to ensure her welfare and safety.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
