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:

Additional Guess

Summer Christiansen – Autumn Mercado Sister 

Sydney Sumner – Crime Online   Investigative Reporter

“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.

[Feature Photo:Autumn Mercado/Handout]