Forbes Business Breaking Tennessee Woman Missing After Domestic Violence Incident During Cross Country Road Trip Molly Bohannon Forbes Staff I cover breaking news. Following May 30, 2023, 05:36pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Police are searching for Nikki Michelle Alcaraz, a 33-year-old mother from Tennessee, who was reported missing in early May after starting a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend that resulted in domestic abuse allegations, drawing parallels to the 2021 disappearance of Gabby Petito. Nikki Michelle Alcaraz was reported missing earlier this month, but was spotted in Redding, .
. . [+] California over Memorial Day Weekend.
Alcaraz was on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend when she went missing. (Courtesy of Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office) Courtesy of Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office Key Facts Alcaraz, who is also known as Nikki Cunningham, had been missing for weeks before being spotted on surveillance footage at a Redding, California Walmart on Saturday; the footage showed her selling a phone at a cash machine, according to officials in Cheatham County, where Alcaraz is from. Prior to the spotting over the weekend, Alcaraz hadn’t been seen since May 6 or heard from since May 8 and was last known to be traveling with her boyfriend, Steven Tyler Stratton, law enforcement said; Newsweek reported that the missing persons report filed for Alcaraz also states Stratton is missing.
Days before Alcaraz was last seen or heard from, the couple had a run-in with law enforcement in Torrance County, New Mexico, in which a witness saw Stratton punch Alcaraz in the face and Stratton claimed he was also hit; neither pressed charges and authorities separated them, NBC News reported . Law enforcement have said Alcaraz may be in California, Arizona or New Mexico and warned that “due to history of domestic assault, we believe she is in danger. ” Key Background The details of Alcaraz’s disappearance—from the domestic abuse allegations to the setting of a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend—nearly mirror what happened to Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman who was reported as missing in 2021.
Petito left for a cross-country van trip with her fiance, Brian Laundrie, during which the pair was stopped in Utah by officers over a fight in which Petito allegedly hit Laundrie. The officers separated the couple for a night, similar to what was allegedly done with Alcaraz and Stratton, but ultimately Petito and Laundrie reconvened and continued their trip. It was later documented that officers should’ve classified the incident as domestic violence, and that they ignored apparent injuries Petito had.
A month after that stop, Petito was reported missing and, another month later, her body was found in Wyoming. Laundrie, the only person of interest in her death, committed suicide and was found dead in October with a notebook in which he wrote that he was responsible for the death of his fiancé, the FBI said. Further Reading Nikki Alcaraz Missing Update As Boyfriend Alleged to Have ‘Beat Her Up’ ( Newsweek ) Tennessee woman missing after starting cross-country trip with boyfriend, authorities say (NBC News) Missing Cheatham County woman spotted at California Walmart, deputy says (WKRN) Follow me on Twitter .
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From: forbes
URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/30/tennessee-woman-missing-after-domestic-violence-incident-during-cross-country-road-trip/
