Authorities are looking for a Tennessee woman missing since weeks. She was allegedly on a cross country trip with her boyfriend who had been accused of punching the woman earlier this month. This case is chillingly similar to that of 2021 disappearance Gabby Petito.
Nikki Michelle Alcaraz (also known as Nikki Cunningham), 33, was last seen Saturday on surveillance footage while she sold a telephone at a cash-machine in California. She allegedly traveled there with her boyfriend Steven Tyler Stratton.
Crouch provided images of Alcaraz selling her phone in an EcoATM located at a Walmart Store in Redding, California. She is wearing a red top and a man with a black shirt and hat stands near her.
According to an incident report obtained from NBC News, this happened a little over three weeks after a Torrance County Sheriff’s Office investigator in New Mexico claimed that Stratton had punched Alcaraz’s face.
Allegations of physical abuse
Alcarez said that she and Stratton had both been drinking, and that Stratton “started hitting her without reason” during their driving incident on May 4. The investigator, who met the couple at a rest area, said that he noticed “red marks and fingerprints on both arms” and that Alcaraz had “a bruise on her back and chest.” The investigator determined later that the bruises on Ms. Alcaraz’s arms were caused by Mr. Stratton holding down her to avoid being struck.
Nikki Michelle Alcaraz.
Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office
Stratton said that Alcaraz had “hit him in his mouth without reason” and kept hitting him while they were driving. He said he didn’t want Alcaraz to go to prison, both of them had drunk and they were traveling to California.
Both Alcaraz, and Stratton were driven away separately from the scene by officials after investigators determined that “both parties had been mutual combatants as they traveled down the interstate”.
According to the incident report, both Alcarez and Stratton admitted to being drunk but neither of them would admit driving the vehicle.
Alcarez initially told police she wanted to file charges. However, both she and Stratton later stated that they didn’t want to.
On the flyer distributed by the Cheatham Sheriff’s office, which noted Alcaraz’s disappearance, it appears that she has a black eye. The date of the photo is not known.
The flyer states, “Due to her history of domestic violence, we believe that she is in danger.”
No one from the Torrance and Cheatham Sheriff’s offices could be immediately reached for further comment.
According to ABC affiliate WKRN in Nashville citing Toni Alcaraz, after the alleged assault officials from the sheriff’s department dropped Alcaraz at Moriarty New Mexico. This is a town located about 40 miles east Albuquerque where a friend of the family was supposed to pick up Alcaraz.
She told her that her sister had called her to tell her she was “crying” and “upset.”
Toni Alcaraz said, “Her eye had already turned black and it was obvious that she had been beaten up pretty badly.”
The case of Gabby Petito has disturbing echoes
The details of this case are similar to those of Gabby Peto’s disappearance in 2021 . She was reported missing by her family after leaving on a road trip across the country with her fiance Brian Laundrie. The remains of Petito were discovered in a Wyoming campsite that September. According to the FBI , the cause of death was determined as homicide.
Laundrie was discovered in Florida one month after Petito had been found. officials said that Laundrie left notes stating he was responsible.
Utah police responded less than a week before Petito’s parents reported her missing. They were called to a physical altercation that took place between Petito and Laundrie. The officer stated that Petito had slapped Laundrie following an argument, and that both parties did not want to press charges. A subsequent independent review found that the police had misclassified the incident, which investigators were supposed to rule domestic violence with Petito the perpetrator. They also left out details regarding the injuries Petito seemed to have sustained.
Tracking her route
Nikki Alcaraz’s phone number or email address listed with her name could not be reached. Also, her immediate family members could not be immediately reached on Tuesday.
Stratton could also not be reached by phone or email at the numbers and addresses listed under his name.
Toni Alcaraz reported that her sister last texted her on May 8, stating that she was in Arizona, and headed to California.
Adan Urbina, Chief of Police in Moriarty, said a license plate scanner tracked her vehicle on May 8th to Flagstaff Arizona — about 360 miles from Moriarty.
According to the incident report of the Torrance County Sherriff’s Office, Alcaraz arrived earlier this month to Flying “C” Wrecker Service in Moriarty to retrieve the Jeep that was towed following the alleged altercation between Stratton and Alcaraz. The shop employee told the sheriff’s office that Alcaraz arrived with a car from California, and an “unknown male” who drove the jeep away while Alcaraz drove the man’s car. The man had left a number for the towing firm, but nobody answered it when a reporter called.
Frank Tavenner said that he had spoken with the sheriff’s office and said Alcaraz wanted to pick up the jeep to go to California to visit her boyfriend.
“She was upset her vehicle was tow… this is the normal reaction we get.” Tavenner said, “Nothing out of the ordinary. She was happy to be on the road, and the guy had her Jeep insured.”
Toni Alcaraz, a WKRN reporter, said that Toni’s sister had made the same trip as her own to visit family “hundreds” of times.
She said, “I speak to her nearly every day so I’m scared that something might happen to them.”
According to WKRN, she added that Nikki Alcaraz is a mother of two children.
Stratton was wanted in Tennessee “for failure to appear for a probation violation stemming from a theft allegation,” reported WKRN.
Crouch stated that his office was involved in the case because the family requested it, but his office does not have jurisdiction outside of the state.
Alcaraz is described as having long, dark hair and brown eyes. She stands at 5’4″ and weighs 160 pounds. She was driving a black Jeep Wrangler 2013 with Tennessee plates and a bumper label that said “Momma tired.”
You can also visit www.thehotline.org to access anonymous and confidential online chats in English or Spanish. Many states also have their own hotlines for domestic violence.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline receives calls from people who have experienced domestic violence, as well as those who may be abusive towards their partners.
