Autumn Mercado, a 39-year-old nurse, died at the family’s home in Salt Lake City with her body discovered by police officers carrying out welfare check. A Utah mother of three was found dead at the bottom of the stairs and her husband was arrested after telling police she fell, covered her body with a blanket and went out for beers.
![[A concerned co-worker reportedly called police to request a welfare check as the couple had history ‘with domestic violence and [the co-worker] wanted to make sure she was OK’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/14/15/933c3baeee58060493b0e1ce352110d9Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM2OTU1NjAy-2.78258932.jpg)
Autumn Mercado, a 39-year-old nurse, died at the family’s home in Salt Lake City on Monday and her body was discovered by officers carrying out a welfare check after a call from a concerned coworker. Her husband, Carlos Mercado, 47, told investigators he had found Autumn and thought she had fallen, covered her body with a blanket and left the house with his young children alone inside, reported FOX13.
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 WJPD Sergeant Andrew Hercules. He has not been charged over her death.
“Autumn’s feet were discolored, and signs of rigor mortis appeared to be present.”. Her husband reportedly told officers that his wife had “passed out” from vertigo before tumbling down the stairs. When police interviewed Carlos he stated that he and Autumn had been drinking the night before and claimed that he fell asleep around 4:00 or 5:00 p.m.
