West Jordan mother and nurse found dead is memorialized by her family

WEST JORDAN — Police are investigating the suspicious death of Autumn Mercado, a 39-year-old mother of three and nurse, found dead inside her West Jordan home.

West Jordan police arrested her husband, Carlos Mercado, 47, as their investigation unfolded.

Autumn Mercado's family is devastated but determined to advocate for their sister, daughter, and mother of three children.

"You can see here obviously from her pictures that she was radiating. But not only was she radiating from the outside, she had a radiating soul on the inside," Summer Christiansen, Autumn Mercado's sister, said.

Full of life and warmth, Autumn Mercado was the second oldest of four sisters.

"My sister was actually a bridesmaid at all of our weddings," Christiansen said, describing her sister as the nurturer in the family who loved caring for others.

Christiansen said that compassion drove Autumn Mercado to become a nurse, and she still aspired to further her career as a nurse practitioner, but her favorite title was that of mother.

"She loved being a mom of her three kids," Christiansen said. "We love each other so much, and I don't know, this is hard."

Autumn Mercado won't be here to see her kids grow up. Police found her dead inside her West Jordan home during a welfare check on Monday.

"When I was got told, I fell to the floor. It's been horrible," Christiansen said.

According to court documents, Carlos Mercado, Autumn Mercado's husband, let police into the home and said "he was just about to call police." Officers found Autumn's body "at the bottom of the stairs" with "significant signs of bruising" and "rigor mortis."

The couple's two young children, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, were also within eyesight.

Officers could "smell the odor of alcohol coming from Carlos's breath," and he told them that he left the home earlier that morning to buy beer at a gas station — leaving the children alone with Autumn's body.

Carlos Mercado told police he was "unable to wake Autumn up" and thought she fell down the stairs from experiencing "vertigo."

"It's been horrible, but at the same time, we want to remember Autumn for who she is — a loving soul," Christiansen said.

Autumn Mercado's family is torn, but Christiansen wants to advocate for her sister and others like her.

"Anybody that's ever suffering from domestic violence, and if they are, reach out. You have to reach out or get help. Nobody's going to know what you're going through. As bad as it is, they won't know unless you reach out and admit it to yourself," Christiansen said.

Court documents indicate a disturbing pattern of domestic violence within the couple's relationship, with Carlos Mercado identified as the aggressor in incidents reported in 2019 and 2022.

According to Christiansen, the couple was together for five years.

West Jordan police said their investigation is still active. Carlos Mercado was arrested under suspicion of failure to report a death, which is considered desecration of a dead body, and two counts of child abandonment. He has not been accused of Autumn Mercado's death.

If you wish to donate, a *GoFundMe was created for Autumn Mercado's children.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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