Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - HUSBAND FINDS WIFE DEAD AT BOTTOM OF STAIRS, GOES ON BEER RUN

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

Autumn Mercado’s coworker at the Huntsman Cancer Institute tells police she is worried something happened to Autumn. Mercado did not show up for work. The nurse reports that Autumn’s husband has a history of domestic violence and fears it may have escalated. West Jordan police officers respond to 7800 South and Iron Core Lane for a welfare check. Autumn’s husband, Carlos Mercado Jr., answers the door, visibly intoxicated, with alcohol on his breath. He appears relieved to see them, claiming he was just about to call. As officers follow him inside, they see a woman’s body covered with a blanket at the foot of the stairs. Mercado struggles to maintain his balance and slurs his speech. He tells officers he found Autumn about six hours earlier but did not realize she was dead. He says he assumed she was sleeping off the drinks they had the night before. Officers notice several open alcohol containers in the kitchen and living room. Mercado says he and Autumn drank heavily late into the night, and he fell asleep around 4 a.m. When he wakes at 8:40 a.m., he finds Autumn at the bottom of the stairs but cannot wake her. He tells police he believes she passed out from vertigo and fell. Instead of calling 911, he covers her with a blanket, orders a Lyft, and goes to a gas station for more beer, leaving their 1- and 4-year-old children home alone with their mother’s body. Joining Nancy Grace today:  Summer Christiansen - Autumn Mercado Sister  Philip Dubé  – Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law; Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy Dr. Lisa Long – Forensic Psychologist and Owner of Dr. Long and Associates Bill Hernandez – California Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Detective Dr. Michelle Dupre – Forensic Pathologist and former Medical Examiner, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & “Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide;”Retired Police Detective Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Sydney Sumner - Crime Online   Investigative Reporter   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A husband finds his wife, a mom of three, dead at the bottom of the stairs. So what does he do? Of course, he goes on a beer run. Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories.

Thank you for being with us. An investigation underway in Salt Lake City, Utah suburbs after a shocking discovery of a mom of three dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Autumn is extremely dedicated to her nursing job at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and is even working toward becoming a nurse practitioner. When the 39-year-old

mom doesn't show up to work without calling ahead, co-workers are immediately concerned. After several failed attempts to call Autumn, a co-worker calls West Jordan police requesting a welfare check. Joining me, an all-star panel. I'm just trying to get my mind around the husband finding his wife. She's beautiful. A mom of three at the foot of the stairs. And did I just hear, let me understand this to Sydney Sumner joining us, investigative reporter. Did I just hear the coworkers where she works as a nurse, they're the ones that call police, not the husband

that finds his wife comatose at the bottom of the stairs? Nancy, that's absolutely correct. The red flag was raised when Autumn did not show up to work that afternoon. Co-workers were immediately concerned when they couldn't reach her and asked for a welfare check. They just wanted to make sure she was okay when she didn't come to work. Okay, I'm trying to figure out what time she would normally get to work in the morning. What I'm getting at, Sidney Sumner, is how long had Anna been at the foot of the steps with, what, the husband walking back and forth by her? Well, take a listen to Sergeant Andrew Hercules, West Jordan PD. January 13th at approximately 2 30 PM, West Jordan police officers were dispatched to the area of 7,800 South and iron core lane

to perform a welfare check. We were initially dispatched to the home just for a welfare check. It was from a co-worker who hadn't been able to get a hold of the deceased individual. That from our friends at KSL News. Okay. Hold on, Sidney. You know, when you told me that the husband, Carlos Mercado, finds Autumn at the bottom of the steps and then goes for a beer run. This is, this is what I'm getting at. 2.30 PM West Jordan PD dispatch to the home. 2.30. So if she had the morning shift, that means he's been walking around her body for how many hours? Nancy, what we know from Mercado's statements is that he found Autumn

in that position just before 9 a.m. She had been there for roughly six hours when police were dispatched to the scene. Repeat. Six hours, Nancy. Say that again. A full six hours. A full six hours at the bottom of the stairs. She had been lying at the foot of the steps for six hours. And you know what? Let me go straight out to Dr. Michelle Dupree joining us. Forensic pathologist, medical examiner, former detective with Lexington County Sheriff's and author of multiple books. The most recent one is Money Mischief Murder, the Murdoch dynasty, the rest of the story. You might as well get ready to redo that trial, Dr. Dupree. But for my purposes,

she's the author of the Homicide Investigation Field Guide. Dr. Dupree, help me figure this out. I can't, there are extrinsic ways to tell the time of death. But if I am looking at specifically the body itself, how do you tell how long a victim has been dead? Well, Nancy, we look at several things. One, we look at the temperature of the body, but we also have to compare that to the temperature in the room or the environment. But we also look for something called rigor mortis, which is the stiffening of the body. And we look for lever mortis, which is where the blood settles at the dependent areas. And that helps us tell if the body has been moved or not. You know, Dr. Dupree, I got to know you really well when we were out in the field on the Murdoch case.

But let me remind you, we don't all have medical degrees. So when you're referring to rigor mortis, when the stiffening of the limbs, then there's liver mortis. To my understanding is, for instance, when you're lying flat on your back and your heart is no longer pumping, the blood in your body, fluids in your body settle to the lowest common point. For instance, if you're on your back, all your blood settles down to your back, the back of your legs, your rear end, it settles down. If you're on your side, it settles all to the side. Okay. So you look for rigor. You look, uh, how long does it take for a liver mortis to set in? Well, it's, we call it

fixed. Um, and that's when it won't change if you move the position of the body. That's maybe six to eight hours, maybe 12 hours, again, depending on the circumstances. But before that, it still settles. But if you move the body, then the live remortis may move also if you move it early. Okay. Dr. Dupree, I'm about to go to Autumn's sister, Summer, with us, but I want to clarify one more thing. Before I continue to discuss how many hours she had lain there, I don't know that that's true. Dr. Dupree, the last thing you want to do is have your facts wrong in front of a jury, because if you're wrong on one fact, they can discount everything you're going to say. So how else can you tell?

How long does it take for rigor to set in? And rigor sets in the stiffening of the limbs, but then after a period of hours, it goes away. That's right. How long till rigor sets in? Again, six to eight hours, maybe 12, depending on the circumstances, if it's very warm or not. But once that rigor is broken, for example, once that limb is moved, it doesn't come back. And so, again, that's another way we can tell if the body's been moved. It's a way we can tell approximately how long the body has been there, as well as with the lever and the temperature of the body. Dr. Dupree, you're really not helping me that much.

You're giving me 6 to 12 hours. Okay, hold on. I can back it up from there. Depending on what time she woke. Well, I don't know what time she woke up that morning. You said dependent on the circumstances, if it's warm in the home, does that change the time period for a rigor mortis to set in? Yes, it can speed it up, actually. It can make it appear faster. But again, this is probably going to be relatively minimal, given that there's what a six, maybe even only a 12 hour difference. But the biggest thing, the most important thing is the position of the body

and the injuries on the body. How does that tell me when the time of death? It doesn't help with time of death, but it helps tell us what happened or what maybe happened. Okay. Yeah. I'm still on time of death. Okay. And my point is, you know, let me go out to Autumn's sister joining us. Guys, we are talking about a beautiful young woman. She's 39 years old. She's in the prime of her life. The best thing in the world, in my opinion, has happened to her. She's got these three beautiful children. One is age one, one is age four, one is age 15. She is an incredible nurse. She's working to become a nurse practitioner, which is not easy. It was hard enough for me to go to school at night and work during the day, much less with three children.

And now she's just gone. What do you tell the little one-year-old and the four-year-old? As a teen hits those teen years, what do you tell them? Mommy's not there to help them. To Summer Christensen joining us. This is Autumn's sister. Summer, I'm so sorry. I cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through. And I'm sorry also that we're discussing rigor, a live or mortis,

and time of death. Let's take it back to that day. When did you learn that your sister had been in a horrible, horrible tragedy? I learned that morning. I don't live in the same state, but two sheriffs came to my house about 1.30 in the morning, and by the look on their face, I fell to the ground. I don't know why. My gut just said it was my sister. They didn't have any answers for me. They did not know what was going on. You know, at least they did contact the sheriff's department in the state that I live in. And they came to my home so that I knew what was happening. But I fell to the floor. I couldn't breathe.

I hyperventilated. It's my sister. It's my little sister. You know, you call family. Summer, how did you know? How did you know? You said when you saw them, when they came to the door, you knew and fell to the ground. It's like it hit me.

It just hit me. I don't know. I can't explain it. It's just something that hit me. And then after I fell to the ground, I looked up and asked to clarify, and he shook his head yes. But it just hit me. And then after I fell to the ground, I looked up and asked to clarify and he shook his head yes, but it just hit me. It was like I opened that door, I saw his face, the sheriff's face and the way he looked and it just came through the door. I don't know, maybe it was her. I don't know. To Dr. Lisa Long joining us, a forensic psychologist, owner of Dr. Long and Associates.

Dr. Lisa, thank you for being with us. I've heard that recollection from so many victims' families, and I experienced the same thing. When I learned my fiancé had been murdered, I got a call to contact Keith's sister, and I knew immediately. I knew immediately. And it does. It affects your body. I remember trying to dial the numbers. It was a circular pay phone to contact his sister, and I couldn't dial.

I couldn't get my finger in the little dial slot to turn the rotary. Just like Summer is saying, what is that? What happens to you? Nobody told, tells you, you know, instinctively, and then your body reacts. Absolutely, Nancy. You know, it's a terrible thing for anyone to go through. It's trauma. It is the shock. I mean, your brain is actually protecting you in those situations where oftentimes people describe not really being able to remember immediate events after or surrounding really traumatic incidents. It is truly a shock response that you and Summer were going through. And it's very unfortunate. No one is ever prepared to receive that type of information. Listen to Sergeant Andrew Hercules. January 13th at approximately 2.30 p.m., West Jordan police officers were dispatched to the area of 7800 South and Iron Core Lane to perform a welfare check. We were initially dispatched to the home just for a welfare check.

It was from a coworker who hadn't been able to get a hold of the deceased individual. KSL. Summer, you said you knew immediately and your reaction was an involuntary physical reaction. You fell to the ground. How long do you believe Autumn lay in the floor until police arrived. So they call her time of death when police found her. My sister was a donor. So, you know, with being a donor, you are able to collect, if you will, 24 hours beforehand. I ended up getting a phone call that they were not going to be able to collect. So that's what I know. So to me, it was longer than 24 hours, my opinion.

She probably was there, I don't know, a day and a half with her kids, just sitting there while Carlos is doing whatever he's doing. And you said it earlier, Nancy, as he has to step over her body to walk up the stairs. He has to step over her body to go into the kitchen and to make food. And his children are just there with him like nothing. I don't, it's disgusting. Summer, do you know the condition of her body when police found it? And he's home. He's home with the children. And she's lying there at the foot of the stairs, cold to the touch. I don't know the extent. I mean, I know what the police records say and rigor mortis set in. I don't know anything beyond that yet.

Everything is still under investigation. So I don't know anything further than that. To Sydney Summer joining us in addition to Autumn's sister, Summer. And I can tell you, this is taking a huge emotional toll on her to speak out on her sister's behalf. Sydney, what was the condition of Autumn's body? What did they find when they came through that front door? Nancy, so what police initially saw when they walked into this building, Carlos Mercado was extremely drunk, and they could see open alcohol containers all over the house. Her children were not far from her body, which was covered with a blanket. Underneath that blanket, Autumn was wearing only a ripped t-shirt. She was

naked from the waist down. Her legs and her feet had extreme bruising all down her legs and her feet. And that's what we know from police. That's the state of her body. They say they were signs of rigor mortis. So it's unclear, was that full rigor mortis? Was it starting to set in? They haven't released many details about how long they think Autumn really laid there. Summer, did you know or have you come to learn that your sister's legs were covered in bruises and she was naked from the waist down, lying there in a ripped t-shirt with a blanket over her and the children all standing around her? So I knew the legs from the police report, naked from the waist down. So

my sister would have never walked around naked in front of her kids like that. She wouldn't have been without underwear. Like she would not have done that. That's, she wouldn't have done it. That's just not her. I did read that in the police report, but, and at what point was a blanket put over her? And not only that, a blanket's put over her. Like we read the police report. Like if you say that out loud, that's, that's crazy. You don't pick your wife up. You don't call someone right away. You don't call an ambulance. You don't put her in bed.

You don't cuddle her, hold her, do anything. I saw someone fall at a hospital one time. I ran over there to help pick them up and call for help. Summer, who do you think put the blanket on her? Do you think the children thought she was asleep and put a blanket on her? How did a blanket end up on her? And I wonder, was it over her face? Was it over her body? Like they were trying to keep her warm or did the husband know that she was dead and put it over her face? Who put the blanket on her and why and how? Um, I don't, so I only have what's, you know, the police records that Carlos said he had put the blanket over her.

But the way I feel is so is it so that they don't he doesn't have to look at her. I don't understand. I don't know if it was over her head or not. Co-workers sound the alarm when a dedicated Utah nurse and aspiring nurse practitioner fails to show up to her Monday morning shift. Police make a startling discovery. The husband says he was cold to the touch. That can take hours for your body temperature to go from its normal temp, 98.6, to cold to the touch, especially when you're in a structure such as a home with heating for your body to dip below the ambient temperature, the temperature in the room. What would that require? Out to you, Dr. Michelle Dupree, forensic pathologist,

medical examiner. What would that require? How many hours had he been walking by her dead body as it slipped into rigor mortis? How long to get cold and of the temperature? Nancy, it usually takes about, decreases about two degrees centigrade per hour. So if you extrapolate from that or, you know, backdate that, we don't know the temperature of her body, but cold to touch would take a few hours. Yes, absolutely. What more do we know? Listen. Officers have to ask Mercado to keep the children back from the body while they investigate.

Under the blanket, the woman is naked from the waist down, only wearing a ripped shirt. Upon closer inspection, her legs are covered in bruises and rigor mortis is clearly setting in. Based on husband Carlos Mercado's statements and her driver's license, the body is identified as Autumn. Joining me, veteran trial lawyer Philip Dubay, former court-appointed counsel in the L.A. County PD's office. Dubay, he thought she was asleep for that long at the foot of the stairs, half naked. He put a blanket on her and he said he was about to call police. Hours had passed. She was already a no show at work. They're the ones that call police. And then when police arrive, they have to ask him to get

the children away from their mother's naked, cold body. What is wrong with him? Well, he was drunk as a skunk. He was hungover still. Remember, he and the wife had had a night of drinking. So obviously he wasn't of clear mind at the time. I don't know that she had been drinking. That's just what he said. You think I'm listening to him? Oh, OK. And he also told the police he thought she was asleep. Well, the ME report will bear that out.

We'll find out if she had any alcohol in her system when they do the tox run on. But to me, the case really hinges on whether or not you even have a homicide. And so far, all we know is she reported to him that she had vertigo. And if she had vertigo and fell down the stairs and maybe in a fit of panic, he left her there because of the DB history that he's had with her. It's understandable. Does anybody condone it? No, but it goes to what his state of mind was at the time. Put him up. Dubay, are you married? Oh, no. No.

Well, before you ever do get married, make sure your wife, your future wife, your pretend wife, knows that if you found her half naked, covered in bruises at the foot of the stairs, you wouldn't just walk around her body for hours on end. Okay. That you will call for assistance. And isn't it true, Philip Dubay, that voluntary use of drugs or alcohol is not a defense under the law. So for you to say, oh, he was drunk. I believe you said drunk as a skunk. That's no defense to anything.

If that were true, the Fulton County jail would be empty right now. Everybody would say, oh, Miss Grace, I was drunk. That's BS. So don't even start with me that he was drunk. I don't care that he was drunk. And Lady Justice doesn't care. And the law is on my side here. Carlos Mercado Jr. has a hard time maintaining his balance and slurs his speech while speaking with officers. His breath smells of alcohol as he explains he found Autumn roughly six hours ago, but did not realize she was dead.

Mercado says he assumed she was sleeping off the numerous drinks they shared the night before. Officers noticed several open alcohol containers in the kitchen and living room. Joining me right now is a domestic violence and sex assault expert. Bill Hernandez is joining us. He is a detective in California. Bill, thank you for being with us. Bill, having prosecuted violent felonies my entire career and working at the Battered Women's Center as a volunteer for nine years on the hotline, how many times, I claims, quote, I was drunk as if that somehow absolves them from what they've done. They're always drunk.

Do you care? Does that mean she's not dead? Does that mean that other women were not attacked because the perp is drunk? No, it certainly doesn't mean that they weren't attacked. And it certainly does matter in the investigation how intoxicated this person was. We always do want to ask that type of question, but it really doesn't go to what happened during the incident. It doesn't state the facts. In addition to what police find when they get there, they then get evidence of a lift ride. Listen. Mercado tells police that he and Autumn were

drinking heavily late into the night and he fell asleep around 4 a.m. When he wakes at 8 40 a.m. Autumn is at the bottom of the stairs and Mercado cannot wake her. Mercado tells police he believes Autumn must have passed out from vertigo and fallen down the stairs. Mercado admits that instead of calling 911, he covers Autumn with a blanket and orders a lift ride. Mercado makes a trip to a nearby gas station for a beer run, leaving their one- and four-year-old children home alone with mommy's body. Dubay, a beer run? A beer run? He finds his wife's dead body at the foot of the stairs. Six hours, by his admission, according to her sister,

is likely much longer, and goes for a beer run, leaving a one-year-old and four-year-old child alone with mommy's body hovering around it. You can be a 14-karat jerk without being a killer. The man was obviously drunk. He wanted to resume where he left off. Does that mean anybody would condone it? Certainly not. But that's not an element of murder. The real question here is what's going to happen regarding the child abandonment problem that he's got. Now, obviously, nobody wants to leave their spouse when they've fallen down the stairs from vertigo. But if you are drunk, if you're blotto, you're not in the right state of mind to act like an otherwise sober person. So for now, there's just not enough evidence to

charge him with a homicide. A nurse, mom of three, found dead at the bottom of stairs in her home. Is it an accident or is there more to the story? This is by far not the first time a wife has been found dead at the foot of the stairs from an accident. I recall distinctly the Kathleen Peterson case, and made her fall down the stairs. And then I guess the owl found its way out the front door. Listen. Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the couple's staircase. Peterson's husband is novelist Michael Peterson. The cop was on me instantly.

There was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial. The injuries are not consistent with a fall down the stairs. The charge, first-degree murder. The DA is trying to say that our dad killed our mother. There's no murder weapon. There's no motive. But we're sitting behind our dad. It never occurred to Michael Peterson that people wouldn't believe it. That's really motive. But we're sitting behind our dad. It never occurred to Michael Peterson that people wouldn't believe it. That's really what this is all about.

He thought he'd get away with it. That's where our friends at Netflix, the husband in that case, Michael Peterson, was tried. Then after a lot of legal wrangling, after being found guilty and then the legal wrangling, he ended up taking a plea to involuntary manslaughter. But listen to Summer Christensen. This is Autumn's sister. Summer, in that case, the husband claimed an owl flew in and attacked his wife. He claimed she had been drinking. In other words, putting the blame on her. As I recall, she had had a glass of wine.

And now she's dead. It then came out that he had a prior relationship with another woman in Germany who was found dead at the foot of the stairs. In this case, in that case, he claimed an owl is responsible and a glass of wine or intake of alcohol. In this case, we're hearing vertigo and that Autumn had been drinking. Why is it always seemingly the victim's fault? She's at the bottom of the stairs dead. I don't even know what to say to that, to be honest with you. I do feel in my heart and my gut that a phone call could have been made to help save her life. What are you being told about the bruises on her body?

Nothing yet, that everything is still under investigation, that it'll take weeks for the full investigation to be complete. That brings to mind the case of Suzanne Seals. Listen. He said it was an accident and she appeared to have fallen down the stairs. I got the call from Scott. He said, Suzanne is dead. And I said, no, she isn't. He said, but accidents do happen, which of course is true. We found blood stains that was obviously suspicious. Of course, you didn't know whose blood it was. We didn't know.

We knew that if we were on to something, we were going to have to spend some time on it. My son-in-law had just been arrested for the murder of my daughter. Another woman dead at the foot of the stairs. That's from our friends at Dateline. To Sydney Sumner joining us, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Sydney, what can you tell me about the bruises on her body? I know we don't have the autopsy report yet, but we've been able to glean a little bit from police reports and statements. Nancy, what the report says about the bruising on Autumn's body is her legs and her feet were extremely discolored.

That's what we took to mean as bruising on her legs and her feet were extremely discolored. That's what we took to mean as bruising on her legs and feet. They noted particularly her feet were bruised, which is very odd. I cannot think of a reason that those bruises would be there from an injury that happened in her life. Dr. Michelle Dupree, what does that indicate to you, her legs and feet badly bruised? Nancy, the first thing I think of is actually defensive wounds. Oftentimes, anyone may fight off an attacker with their arms and legs and feet. And, you know, if the bruises are on her feet, I think that would be highly suspicious for defensive wounds. You know, that's a really good point, Dr. Michelle Dupree. When I try to explain defensive wounds to a jury, imagine someone coming at you with a

baseball bat. The first thing you do is put your hands up over your face. And that's why we often see defensive wounds along the outside of the arms, the outside of the hands, and that bruising, even though a blow is struck here, the bruising will go into the hand. Often we see a victim, if they're already in the floor or say in the bed or in a sitting position, not necessarily prone on the floor, they curl up in a fetal position and you will find a lot of bruising on the legs and the feet where they're instinctively trying to protect their internal organs. Is that how it works, Dr. Dupree? Absolutely, Nancy. You gave a perfect description. That's exactly what would happen. You're trying to defend yourself. And the way to do that is with your arms, your legs, your feet, basically anything to protect that core of your body. That's what it sounds like to me. A Utah nurse found in her home. Cops say hubby buys beer

before calling 911. He didn't just buy beer. He got a Lyft ride to go buy beer and come home and get drunk while his wife is lying in the floor, cold to the touch, covered in bruises and half naked. Why? It's not the first time a suspect, a person of interest, let's say, suddenly got an attack of the Hungries after the death. Listen. Federal agents line up raking through garbage, searching for 20-month-old Quentin Simon's remains. Meanwhile, Leilani Simon, the only suspect in her son's disappearance, her mother, Billie Jo Howell, and others are spotted out at the popular Tybee Island bar. Their waiters say they took shots, got flirty, and even demanded one waiter's phone number.

Their party ran up a tab of over $300 while protesters stood in front of the family's home demanding justice for Quentin. Not just that, I'm sure we all remember the case of Micah Miller. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is buzzing with rumors that Pastor John Paul Miller is dating again and has possibly even remarried. Miller was previously seen out to dinner with a member of his congregation just four days after Micah Miller's suicide. Less than 24 hours after his home is raided by the FBI, Miller is seen with the same woman having lunch at McAllister's Deli. This time, the pair kept their distance and appeared tense when entering and

leaving the restaurant. Again, in that case, Micah Miller's case, the pastor husband has not been charged in relation to her death. To Summer Christensen, has he contacted you at all since Autumn's death? Yes, he tried reaching out to me from a phone number. I did not know that it was him. I actually thought it was maybe someone from the police department. First thing he said to me was, I I actually thought it was maybe someone from the police department. First thing he said to me was, I didn't do it. Not my condolences. I'm sorry about leaving the kids. Maybe I'm sorry I'm admitting guilt. I don't know, but no, nothing other than he didn't do it. And he has clothing for the children that my family can pick up. I froze. I couldn't say anything. I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell. I froze. I couldn't say anything. I was just silent.

Autumn's sisters say they thought her relationship with Mercado was happy and loving. Older sister Summer Christiansen-Ward says she had no idea about the previous domestic violence charges and believes her sister's marriage was much different behind closed doors. Summer, did you ever have any idea that there was domestic violence in their marriage? We, so I would say we, my family, no, not until, I guess you would say it was too late, right? In front of us, family gatherings, they were loving to each other. It wasn't until more recently that you can only, you know, so many times you can only fall down the stairs, you know, how many more times, I don't know.

Things started to come together, but she's not with us. Summer, isn't it true that you were told he, Carlos Mercado, pushed her down the stairs in the past? It's not the first time? So after her passing, yes, someone came forward and said that she had reached out to them because Carlos had pushed her down the stairs. So a few of her friends, at least one, knew about the domestic violence. Sydney, wasn't there a previous domestic violence charge? Nancy, there were several. The first, they were not yet married, still engaged in 2019, and there was a domestic violence assault charge against Mercado. Then again, two years later, in 2021, there was another charge filed, but law enforcement could not get in touch with Autumn to successfully prosecute the case.

Again, a year later, Mercado assaulted Autumn again just months after completing court-ordered anger management and counseling for the initial charge back in 2019. There were several documented cases of domestic violence from Mercado against Autumn, and it seems those who saw her on a daily basis had some idea that this was going on. The co-worker that called for the welfare check actually mentioned to police she was worried about Autumn because of their domestic violence history. You know, it's interesting, Summer, that nobody in the family knew, but you know what? That is not uncommon. In fact, that's normal. It's very rare that a domestic violence victim will open up and tell people.

For some reason, they keep it a secret. How does she portray her marriage to you? He was her knight in shining armor. She protected him. She definitely protected him. Like I said, it wasn't until things started not adding up and it's like, there's only so many times certain things can happen and I hate to think that she was dealing with this for as long as they were together um she wanted us to love him she protected him he didn't protect her but she definitely protected him Dr. Lisa Long psychologist joining us why why do the victims try to protect the abuser?

It is part of the abuse cycle. You know, you go through periods of trying to get back together, strengthen the relationship, and they're living in an environment that is fear-based. It's chaos within the environment, and they're under a lot of pressure by the perpetrator to make them look good publicly. I think part of it, Dr. Lisa, and I'm certainly going to shrink, but they want that image. Women grow up thinking they're going to have this wonderful husband, this happy life, you know, like in the Hallmark movie or in the Christmas card photos. And that's, you know, sold to us and we buy into it and think that's the way it's supposed to be.

And somehow, if it's not really that way, you're the big failure. Absolutely, Nancy. And that is part of the domestic violence. The abuse cycle is that victims often internalize guilt and shame for being victims of abuse when, obviously, logically, we know that's not the way that they're not the cause of it. But that is exactly what happens. And then it creates a cycle of feeling shame to speak out, to get help. And then we end up in situations like this. Summer, what is your message tonight? I know the children are with Autumn's family. What do they remember

about the day mommy was at the foot of the stairs? I will never ask at least the four-year-old. What I will tell you is that he has night terrors. Do I think that he knows mommy is gone? I do. I do. But what I would want people to remember, one is if you are suffering from domestic violence, please reach out, reach out to your family. Even if you confide in others or work, coworkers or other friends, then I would ask you, you know, coworkers, other friends, whoever it is, reach out to the family, call someone, please do something. I don't want them to end up like my sister, but I also want my sister to be remembered. Like I said, she is not only beautiful on the inside or on the outside, but also on the inside.

She was nurturing. She was loving. Her hugs were big. They were warm. She was a nurse. I say this all the time. If you were cared for by my sister, you knew you were going to be taken care of. She gave off that demeanor and that confidence and that, you know, just her, the way she was when she cared for people. She, but her number one pride and joy were her three children. Her three kids were her pride and joy. And she loved them with everything she had. I really want my sister to be remembered for the wonderful person that she was, the amazing woman that she was.

I do want justice for her, but I want her to be remembered for who she is and not the woman at the bottom of the stairs where her kids were there to watch her. She's an amazing, wonderful woman. If you or someone you know is suffering domestic violence, please call toll free 800-799-7233. 800-799-7233. 800-799-7233. We wait as justice unfolds. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.