Autumn Mercado, a 39-year-old mother-of-three, died at the family home in Salt Lake City on Monday. The sister of a Utah nurse found dead at the bottom of a stairwell has paid tribute to her “radiant soul” and her devotion to helping others. Autumn Mercado, a 39-year-old mother-of-three, died at the family home in Salt Lake City on Monday.
![[Autumn Mercado, 39, a mother-of-three, was found lying dead at the bottom of a stairwell at a home in Salt Lake City Monday afternoon]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/17/18/Mercado.jpg)
“Autumn had a truly radiant soul, both inside and out,” her sister Summer Chistiansen-Ward told The Independent. Autumn’s husband, Carlos Mercado, 47, told investigators that his wife fell down the stairs. He reportedly covered her with a blanket and went out drinking, leaving her body in the house with their young children.
![[Autumn Mercado was a devoted mother and nurse]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/18/17/IMG_0659.jpg)
He was taken into custody in connection with the investigation, and booked Tuesday into the Salt Lake County Jail on failure to report a death and two counts of child abandonment, said West Jordan Police Department Sergeant Andrew Hercules. Autumn’s work in healthcare reflected her deep love for others, her sister says.
![[Autumn’s sister has paid tribute to her and said she was a ‘radiant soul’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/18/17/IMG_0658.jpg)
“As a dedicated registered nurse, she channeled her sharp intellect and compassionate spirit to care for others with the same devotion she showed her own family. Autumn’s dream was to become a nurse practitioner, driven by her passion for helping people. She deeply loved her children and took immense pride in being their mother.
