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The husband told police he found his wife at the bottom of the stairs after waking up and thought she was asleep, before he took a ride-share to buy beer at a gas station, leaving their two young children home alone with her body.
Police in West Jordan, Utah are investigating a mysterious death after a woman's body was found at the bottom of the stairs in her home, with her husband telling them he thought she was asleep. Her sister Summer Christiansen (above right), however, is not buying his story at all.
The husband isn't the one who contacted police about his wife's death, despite being the first one to see her. Officers were dispatched after a concerned coworker reached out when Autumn Mercado, 39 (above left), didn't show up for work. A welfare check conducted on January 13 uncovered her tragic fate.
Carlos' Explanation for Autumn's Body
When police first arrived at the home, they were greeted by Carlos Mercado, 47, who told them he was just about to call them. He told them he woke up to find his wife at the bottom of the stairs and assumed she was asleep, per the arrest affidavit seen by Fox affiliate KSTU.
He told police that he tried to wake her, but when she didn't response, he covered his wife with a blanket, leaving her where she was at the bottom of the stairs.
He then ordered a ride-share and left to buy more beer at a gas station, leaving their two young children, aged 4 and 1, at home alone with their mother's body.
According to NewsNation, Carlos told police he believes Autumn fell down the stairs due to vertigo after the couple had been drinking into the wee hours of the morning, which is why he thought she was just asleep at the bottom of the stairs.
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View StoryUpon initial investigation "the death appeared suspicious to responding officers," said West Jordan Police Sgt. Andrew Hercules in a press conference covered by KLS News.
"Officers could smell the odor of alcohol coming from Carlos’ breath and noticed he had a hard time maintaining his balance," said the affidavit of what they witnessed upon arrival, per Fox News. "Multiple open containers of alcohol were observed throughout the front room and kitchen area."
Fox 13 reports that the two young children were found in the home, without clothes and standing near their mother's body.
Carlos was arrested and booked into Salt Lake County Jail. He has been charged with two felony counts of child abandonment and a misdemeanor count of failure to report a dead body. He has not been charged in relation to his wife's death.
A search of Salt Lake County booking records show he is no longer in custody. Investigators are continuing to look into Autumn's death in coordination with the Medical Examiner's Office.
Autumn's Sister Not Buying It
Speaking this week with NewsNation, Summer Christiansen-Ward said she's not buying Carlos' story for multiple reasons.
"If you love them, how do you not pick them up? How do you not put them on a couch? How do you not cuddle them, put them back in bed?" she asked on Banfield. "I don't believe it."
She was also horrified at the revelation that Carlos had left their young children in the house alone with their mother's body, saying just the thought of them discovering her "made me want to throw up when I found out."
Christiansen-Ward shared that since her sister's death, other people have come forward with stories the family never knew about what Autumn allegedly endured in her marriage with Carlos.
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View StoryShe said she believed her sister was trying to protect her family from the reality of her life with stories like that she'd fallen off a bike while riding or had gotten hurt in an accident.
"He didn't protect her at all. We did not know it was to this degree. I mean, she was slashed with a knife. She got her teeth knocked out," said Christiansen-Ward. "We did not know."
When asked if anyone had told the family that Carlos had ever pushed his wife down the stairs prior to this incident, Christiansen-Ward replied, "The answer is yes." She added, "You start to hear certain things, and then you start to believe."
Carlos has a history of domestic violence issues with the local police, as well. In 2019 he was found guilty of third degree felony aggravated assault against Autumn, his fiancée at the time.
In 2021 and then again in 2022, he was charged with assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, with the victim identified as Autumn. The '21 case was dismissed, as the victim was not contacted, but he was found guilty in '22.
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View StoryAutumn was a registered nurse with aspirations to someday become a nurse practitioner, according to her obituary. "I remember when she was a kid she wanted to go feed the homeless or help people who didn’t have a place to live," Christiansen-Ward told KSTU. "She was always trying to help individuals."
She also said that her sister loved being a mom, assuring that her children are safe and away from the house where she died. She started a GoFundMe "for her unexpected funeral costs and to support her children in rebuilding their lives."
"We want to give them, not a new life, but something better," she explained. "And make sure they knew who their mom was. It’s not fair. She left too soon. But she was amazing."
"We're a family," she added. "We love hard and we're living a nightmare."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages; Calls are confidential and toll-free.