ANGEL — A woman who went missing while on a cross-country trip to Orange County, California, with her boyfriend has been found alive, police said late Tuesday.
Redding Police said Nikki Alcaraz, 33, was contacted by the Eureka Police Department and “found safe.” Redding Police later contacted the Moriarty, New Mexico Police Department to confirm that he was no longer considered a missing person.
No further details have been released.
Alcaraz's family said they believed he was in danger. He is believed to have been spotted at a Walmart over the weekend.
Stratton was reportedly arrested, according to local reports, although details of the arrest were not immediately available.
Alcaraz left his home in Tennessee to go on a road trip in his black Jeep with Tyler Stratton and a dog. They had planned to travel to Orange County to visit her family, but three weeks ago, the 33-year-old mother went missing in Moriarty, New Mexico.
“There were a lot of possibilities that I dreaded after not hearing from him for three weeks,” said Toni Alcaraz, Nikki's sister.
There are signs of trouble when the pair reach New Mexico.
On May 4, the Torrance County Sheriff's Department report showed Alcaraz with a black eye. A witness said Stratton punched him in the face. The report said Stratton claimed he was also hit.
Neither chose to press charges. They left the police station separately.
Alcaraz was dropped off by police in Moriarty where he called his sister.
“His eyes were black and you could say he was beaten up,” said Toni.
A family friend traveled to New Mexico and met Alcaraz, hoping to take him to California. But the day they were supposed to leave, she told him she had to go back and find her boyfriend.
On May 9, Toni received a text from her sister saying she was in Arizona and planned to continue driving to California.
A license plate reader picked up a Jeep Alcaraz near Flagstaff, Arizona, earlier this month, but police said his phone appeared to be malfunctioning.
Stratton has an unrelated arrest warrant from Tennessee, related to the burglary charge. He has not been seen since their interaction with the Moriarty police.