Abducted & Left in a Burning Car: What Happened to Mercedes Vega?
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much for joining me today. And if you're new, then welcome. So I've got to say right out of the gate here that the case we're going to be talking about today is extremely disturbing. It's very upsetting and shocking. And what's also shocking is it hasn't gotten really any media coverage and very little coverage in the true crime community either. And

And I wanted to take time to talk about it today because it so badly needs attention. More people have to know about this case. We're going to be talking about Mercedes Vega. Now, before I jump into this case, I wanted to say it right in the beginning, while the majority of you are still tuned in, that this family really needs some financial help. And I'm going to be making a donation to their GoFundMe, of course, on behalf of

this channel and all of you who support it. And if you are able to make a donation, I really encourage you to do so. This family, they are so incredible. I was truly moved talking to them and feeling their passion and their love and how badly they need justice, that they are not going to give up until they get justice. And I want to help them. And I'm sure many of you want to help them as well to achieve justice.

that goal. Right now they have put together a $2,000 reward for information and they're really hoping to increase that number as much as possible. And I understand how rewards for information can sometimes seem so distant like someone's never going to come forward but I really am so confident that someone has to know something here and maybe they just need the right incentive or maybe...

they'll just eventually feel guilty enough to say what they know. I asked Mercedes friends and family if they would be interested in joining me in today's episode to tell the story directly from those who loved her most, which I think is just so valuable. They have been incredible to work with. I spent an hour and a half with them on the phone just yesterday. And one thing I can tell you is Mercedes Vega was incredibly loved.

She was an amazing person and her friends and family are doing everything they can. They will not stop until justice is served in this case. And the people who did this horrific crime will be held accountable. And I'm confident that they will not rest until that is the case. What's really frustrating in this one is, especially in the beginning, the police did next to nothing to help solve this case, to help this family, and has just put them through...

unimaginable pain and that's why it's incredibly important that this case is shared far and wide and as many people know about Mercedes as possible especially people that live in Arizona her murder was incredibly violent incredibly disturbing and it happened somewhere where there's a good chance that someone saw something and her family is just hoping that the right person will see this

and consider coming forward. So we're going to be going over the very recent murder of Mercedes Vega. It has actually been less than a year since her life was stolen. And of course, I always like to give this reminder when I invite a family to be part of the video because I know they're going to be, you know, seeing the things that are said out there. And so I just want to

yeah, again, remind people to be kind in the comments to think before you type. Because I mean, that's the last thing that this family needs after everything they have been through is to hear hateful things being said about their family and about Mercedes. And I just really wanted to, you know, protect them as much as I can. Of course, it's the internet, people are going to say what they're going to say. However, if I see any of that, you will be banned from the channel. So I just

I just wanted to make that clear before we jump in. I know it is not easy for friends and family to come onto such a large platform and be vulnerable and talk about one of the worst days, if not the worst day ever.

their life and I just really respect them for taking the time for being brave enough to do that and I hope all of you guys will send them as much love as possible. So with all that being said we do have a lot of ground to cover here so let's jump right in starting with Mercedes' background. Mercedes Mariana Vega was born on March 10th 2001 in Anchorage, Alaska. She was raised by her mother Erica who is just fantastic. I really enjoyed my conversation with her and I

Also her stepdad, Tom, and they had a blended family with four sisters, Jessica, Alexis, Mackenzie, and Shelby, and a brother named Finn. Tom says that even though they were a blended family, he loved Mercedes as his own and just felt so privileged to be her father for 17 years. And the more I've learned about Mercedes, the more obvious it's become to me that she was a truly special person. She...

Loved so hard, cared for her family and her friends more than anything, and was, you know, just such a ride or die. She was always willing to do anything to drop anything she had going on for someone who needed it and really had an incredible future ahead of her. After I spoke with her loved ones, it was just even more obvious how...

Amazing she was. I mean, she was loving. She was super, super generous and caring and hardworking, determined, strong-willed. She was funny, kind.

I mean, you could just go on and on about what a great person she really was. And one thing that I really loved learning about her was that she had a nurturing energy that could soothe any crying baby. And I think we can all agree that that says so much about the type of person she was. She also had a beautiful voice and was often picked to sing the national anthem at events.

special events or sporting events. Plus, and I always say this, but I think it really says a lot about someone when they are a big animal lover. She loved horseback riding and actually had her own horse named Cash. And just speaking with her loved ones, it became very clear to me that her connection with horses was a big part of her identity.

Overall, it's just very clear that Mercedes was down to her core, a good person. And you best believe she was always the type who was going to work hard for anything that she wanted. And one story her family shared with me that I really loved is when she was only seven years old, she made a PowerPoint presentation.

about why the family should go to Disney World. And then when she got older, she made another PowerPoint to convince her family to let her get a tattoo. Basically, if Mercedes wanted something, she was going to find a way to get it. And of course, I can sit here and try my best to tell you about her. But the reality is I never got the opportunity to meet her. And so I now want to share some information from her friends and family describing how

What an amazing person she really was. Hi, I'm Erica Pillsbury, Mercedes Vegas mom. I'm Tom Pillsbury, Mercedes Vegas dad. We want to talk a little bit about Mercedes and what she was like as a young kid. She was born very, very quickly. I was actually in labor with her for four minutes.

We got to the hospital at 3:58. She was born at 4:06. She was only five pounds, three ounces. She was really, really tiny and just ready to be out in the world. As she got older, she thought she was an adult her entire life.

First time she ever went to child care was three. And I went to pick her up and asked how she was doing or how she did that day. They said, well, she was great until the end. And we asked her to help clean up and she didn't want to clean up. And I asked her, well, Mercedes, why didn't you clean up when the teachers told you to clean up? And she says, oh, mom, she was talking to the kids.

She was very protective. She wasn't diving. At two years old, she would jump off the high dive. In some ways, she was absolutely fearless. And he loved to cook and he was into volleyball. She loved Christmas. One year when she was very little, she made a Christmas list. Like you would roll in a scroll and it must have had 200 items.

Another thing is that we would watch Christmas movies. It was like a birthday that we would lay on the couch, eat some corn, and we would watch Christmas movie after Christmas movie after Christmas movie. It's something I missed this year.

And it was really, really hard because it's something that I did with her every single year. I would record them at home alone. We watched three or four times, you know, didn't matter the Grinch, whatever it was. Another thing that I thought about was when she was little, there's a little pair sometimes mom, she wanted her hair down a certain way and mom had to comb it and they would get into some arguments like she, you're pulling out my hair.

out my hair. And mom would go in there and comb her hair every day. It had to be done a certain way. Mercedes was very meticulous. And that came to her outfits also. She would actually pick them out the night before and lay them on the ground, kind of looking like, oh, this is what I'm going to look like the next day. She just was that kind of person that if you got to know her, you'd love her. She just was a very warm, genuine person.

Hi, my name is Mackenzie Lockhart and Mercedes is somebody who I will always forever and always love and keep near to my heart. She was just the absolute best.

There's like no other way to say it. She was the absolute best. Some of the things that we really liked to do with one another, we would always go to the specific In-N-Out and she'd be speed racing and we would always be screaming, shouting the song Shawty at the top of our lungs.

So whenever I hear that song, I dedicate that song to her. That's my Mercedes song. Another thing that we would do all the time, all together, was watch the Savage x Fenty shows. We both had the same

passion for love, for dance, for fashion, for shoes, for jewelry, any way of expressing yourself through fashion and dance. And that's something that I'm really, really, really going to miss. Hi, I'm Alize. I'm Mercedes' childhood friend. We met in junior high and the rest was history. Mercedes was a light. She was somebody you can depend on and she was somebody that you wanted on your side. She

was amazing to say the least like you could literally call her text her at any time of the night asking her any type of question asking her to do anything and she was there they say like like oh like they're too good for this world like she was just too good for this world and that would really make me so mad but it really does make sense

She really was too good for this world. She was just somebody that you just wanted to be around and hug and just talk to because you could talk to her. My name is Estelia. Mercedes was my cousin. Mercedes was like my little sister. We really liked sitting together. I remember also I had this birthday party when I was younger and it was like a silly little like

America's Got Talent style thing and we used prepared songs and like I remember she had like this black and blue dress on and it was like sparkly and she looked like Hannah Montana but I remember just like the pure joy in her face seeing her sing like that was definitely one of the things she loved that and horses she really she really did have a way with horses she's just so passionate about

Everything that she does. Everything, you know? How to have fun, anytime, anywhere.

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Now, as I mentioned earlier, Mercedes was born in Alaska. However, at some point, her family moved to Gilbert, Arizona, and she lived there with them until she was 18. And when she turned 18, she ended up moving to Tempe, Arizona. And this is where she was living in 2023 when she was violently murdered.

murdered. Mercedes had just turned 22 years old in March of that year and celebrated her birthday with her friends in Hawaii. And after she returned from this trip, Mercedes shared with her mom that one day, way, way, way in the future, after she gets married, has kids, lives a long, full life, she had hoped to have her ashes spread on the beaches of Hawaii. She said that that's where her soul belonged. And no one, even Mercedes, could have predicted that

That long life that she had dreamed of would be cut short just a few weeks later. So that brings us to April 16th, 2023. It was a Sunday and that night Mercedes had plans to meet up with some friends. Now something that you should know about Mercedes is that she was in the process of trying to become a personal trainer and she was

very, very dedicated to this. She loved all things health and wellness and was working extremely hard to get certified. And that meant maintaining her own diet and exercise regimen. However, she did give herself cheat days normally once a week. And Sunday the 16th was that kind of day. So it was only fitting for, you know, a cheat day to agree to make plans with some of her friends and go out and have a good time. And it's

Sort of not worry about any of that. And living in Tempe, which is the home to Arizona State University, there were plenty of things to go out and do. But out of the many options she had, we know that she was ultimately deciding between two things to do that night. Now, unfortunately, we don't know what she actually decided to do. We know that the plan was to either go get sushi or go to Dave & Buster's.

But like I said, we don't know which one she chose. All we know is that she was in contact with two friends making these plans.

And she sent her last text at 8.54 p.m. And then after that, she just stopped replying. Which you would think after, you know, making plans with someone and then they suddenly ghost you, you would continually call and text them and try to figure out what was going on. But that didn't happen. After Mercedes just suddenly stopped replying, one of those friends did end up reaching out, but it wasn't until hours later and they said something along the lines of,

I guess you aren't coming. Which could seem like an innocent response and reaction, and it very well may be. However, her friends and family have some concern that she was possibly set up for what happened to her that night. So at 9.15 p.m., surveillance footage from the inside of her apartment complex's garage came out.

captured Mercedes on video walking casually around a corner and she's looking down at her phone and I can't stress this enough everything seems completely normal her family does think it's possible that she was on FaceTime based on the way that she was looking down at her phone and just by looking at her outfit they think it's more than likely that she had decided to go to Dave and Buster's because it was a

Pretty casual outfit and nothing, and I really do mean nothing, about her demeanor indicates that she knew she was in danger. But unfortunately, Mercedes was in danger, and the surveillance footage that I've played for you has been trimmed down by police, but shortly after it cuts off, Mercedes was unarmed.

viciously attacked. And this is really upsetting to have to share, and this may definitely be disturbing to some of you out there, but not only was she struck so hard over the head that blood and brain matter was found inside the parking garage later on, but she was forced into a vehicle where it's believed that she endured what no person should ever

And it would take several more hours before anyone was made aware of this senseless tragedy. Shortly after 1 a.m. on April 17th, the Department of Public Safety received a call about a burning car on the side of Interstate 10 by mile marker 85, which is 10 miles west of Tonopah, Arizona. And after they put out the fire, it became clear that this was more than just arson because

because there was a body found in the backseat of the car and that body belonged to 22-year-old

Mercedes Vega, and she was found 60 miles away from her apartment. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was immediately called to the scene where they right away began working to identify her, and it didn't take them very long. Mercedes had what's known as a Las Vegas Sheriff's Card, which is essentially a work permit that requires you to submit your fingerprints and sometimes undergo a background check.

It's required for a handful of jobs, including jobs in entertainment. And something I haven't shared yet about Mercedes is that two nights a week she worked as a dancer at a nightclub to earn money.

you know, extra money while working to become a personal trainer. And it was because she had this card that her fingerprints were in the system and officers were able to quickly ID her, which means the next steps were to notify her family. And Erica and Tom had just come back from a vacation. And hours later, they were given the worst news of their lives. And what's crazy is they weren't even given any explanation as to what happened.

Where Mercedes' body was found, absolutely nothing. And all they were told was, sorry, your daughter's life has been taken. That's it. I had just gotten back from vacation, gone to the store, and I'd made dinner, and I thought I heard a knock, and they didn't ring the doorbell. It was the evening of the 17th of April. I looked through the peephole.

And I mentioned to Tom, it looks like cops outside. And I opened the door. These two gentlemen were standing there. They said to me, does Mercedes live here? And I said, no, but I'm her mom. Is she okay? And they asked again to come in. I said, tell me she's okay. And they said, no, I'm sorry, ma'am. She's not. She's deceased. And I asked, was she in a car accident? They said, no.

I said, did she kill herself? And they said, no. I said, did anyone else, was anyone else with her? They said no. And they said someone took her life. I honestly don't remember a lot.

I do remember I was upstairs, and when I came down, I met them at the bottom of the stairs. And then they told us, and all I can remember is yelling, it's not true. No, this is not true. You've got the wrong person. And I just was screaming, and I had to go into the other room. And it was Detective Ray and the other gentleman. I cannot remember his name, but it was just like a ton of bricks falling

Had hit this house and it just, I don't remember if we ate. I don't remember what we did. All I remember is the sitting on the floor by the couch until our other daughter came. It took days for it to sink in where I was just yelling and screaming. And I can't even remember what I was saying. Well, sometimes it feels like it's not true. We didn't get to see her body. We didn't get anything from her. We didn't.

We don't have anything. We have her things from her apartment, but we have no... They did not tell us anything we didn't know. We asked a hundred times who killed her. Why is she dead? Why is she dead? We've asked them a hundred times. We have not gotten the answer. The one thing I do remember is they were very big, and so I searched on the internet, and...

Because they told us where she was, but they didn't tell us what happened. So the way I found out what happened to my daughter was reading it in a news clipping. Didn't say her name specifically.

But it said person found in burning car in Tonopah, Arizona. Well, two and two, that's where my daughter was at. So the police weren't even forthcoming with the information. I had to learn about it through the news when they could have told us when they were here. The news that Mercedes had been murdered hit her loved ones incredibly hard. And I mean, how could it not? And when I first watched the clip that we just played,

It just brought tears to my eyes. I cannot imagine that pain. I mean, here's this incredibly kind, loving young woman with so much potential, so much ahead of her, so much that she still had to do in life. And then she's just gone like that with no explanation. I...

It's hard to even imagine what that would be like. And the weight of her murder was felt far and wide. And that continues to be true to this day. I got a text message from somebody really random saying like, sorry for your loss. And I was like,

what are you talking about and they were like Mercedes and I immediately was like they must have like things confused like they're obviously confused so I reached out to one of uh like Mercedes closer friends and one of my friends too and I was like like tell me what's going on right now and she just sent me the article and at the time it just said like police responded to a report of a car on fire on the side of the highway in Tonopah and unidentified 22 year old's

remains were found in the back. I didn't believe it. When I read that article, I think the first thing I even said when I got on the phone with one of my friends was, I hope that she wasn't tortured. I hope that she was at peace. And that just wasn't the case. So when I found out that Mercedes had passed, I was home alone and

My friend, Alize, texts me and she said, "Mercedes passed. I'm so sorry." And at first I thought that it was, I don't know, like a joke or just not real. I really thought that she was wrong until the body found in the burning car was identified as Mercedes. And I remember I was sitting in a chair and I fell out of the chair under my hands and knees and I started hyperventilating.

and cry it felt like my heart and lungs were ripped out of my chest and it still does every day i wake up and the first thing i think about is that stacy's isn't here recalling the moment that i found out about her dying is extremely difficult

because I hadn't seen her in quite a few years. But my dad called me, so her uncle, and he told me Mercedes was gone. And I was like, what does that mean she's gone? Like, you mean she's on a trip? She went on a trip with her friends. She didn't tell anybody. She took a road trip, bought her own. And he told me that she was murdered. I remember I was sitting at my

apartment in Denver at the time. And I remember thinking, this isn't real. This can't be real. How could she have been bested by somebody? I don't understand.

It just didn't make any sense to me. And obviously the next step was to conduct an autopsy and it revealed, you know, crucial information, but also devastating information. And sadly, but not surprisingly, considering how they've handled everything else, the autopsy wasn't shared with her family for six months. They didn't know what exactly happened to her for six months. But when they did finally get it,

Here's what they learned. Not only had Mercedes suffered blunt force injuries to her head, but she also was shot in her upper right arm. And these were, of course, contributions to her cause of death, but there was something else. Mercedes had survived a vicious attack and a gunshot wound, only to be abandoned in a burning vehicle. This is really hard to say, and I'm sure really hard to hear, but...

Smoke was found inside her lungs, which led the medical examiner's office to determine that she was still breathing when her car was set on fire, meaning Mercedes was burned alive. And that is just such a devastating piece of information to learn.

I can't imagine how hard it was for her family to find that out, and I can only hope that she was at least maybe unconscious when that happened, because no one deserves to feel that type of pain. Her toxicology revealed only caffeine and traces of THC in her system as well, so...

She wasn't under the influence of anything that could have masked this level of, I mean, there's no other way to say it, torture. And sadly, it doesn't end there. The autopsy also revealed that there was bleach in Mercedes' throat. Back at the scene, investigators had uncovered a bottle of lighter fluid next to her body in the backseat, in addition to a bottle of bleach and a pair of gloves in the front of the car. And hearing this just...

makes me sick. I mean, why? Why put bleach in her mouth? It doesn't make any sense. Now, one thing Mercedes' mother Erica has brought up is that Mercedes had really hard and sharp teeth. When she was a child, they were doing, you know, drilling on her teeth at the dentist and they literally had to bring in a diamond drill because her teeth were so hard. And her mom believes it's possible that she may have tried to bite someone in self-defense.

And I think it's a good possibility as well. And maybe the bleach was used to conceal the DNA she could have gotten in her mouth from her attackers. Because that's the thing about Mercedes is she was tough and she would have fought back in any way that she could. And this theory really does make sense because bleach would have eliminated any DNA that was left behind in her mouth. And it's possible that her attackers already

already had the bleach with them to clean up anything they needed to. And I'm just thinking out loud here, but I also wonder if it could have been symbolic, like a way to send a message. And you're going to hear her dad talk more about this later on. What if Mercedes had said something that she wasn't supposed to or knew about something that

people didn't want her to say. Was this some kind of weird message about not speaking up about something? I mean, I'm completely theorizing here and her family obviously is going through all these thoughts in their head trying to make sense of why this was done. Obviously, we don't actually know. I mean, no one knows why that's happened and that's what's so frustrating about it. It just doesn't make sense. ♪

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And she wasn't involved in anything shady. It just seems so random, but also so personal at the same time. And her parents have echoed this same sentiment before. But if this was just about murder, why not just kill her right there in the parking garage? They had the means and the opportunity, so why not just then and there? Why take her and keep her alive for hours? What did this person or these people want from her? And that's what keeps her friends and family up at night because...

Everything about her murder screams that this was personal. The reason I think this was personal is because the nature of the crime. Mercedes was taken around 9.15 and frowned at 1 a.m. in the morning. Well, from her house to Tonopah, Arizona, that's an hour drive, about 60 minutes, give or take.

with freeway. She lived right off the freeway. So it wasn't like they had to drive a bunch of side roads to get to the highway. So they ultimately took her somewhere for two hours, disposed of her car in Tempe. They knew that they were on security camera.

because they knew that they had to have staked out the place prior. Her garage had cameras, there were cameras outside. They knew the surroundings. They were waiting and wait for her to come down. As you can see from the video that you showed earlier,

This is not a person that was worried about her surroundings. She felt very safe. If she felt that she was in danger at that particular moment, I don't think she would have been looking down at her phone. She was just very protective of her surroundings. So to me, someone had to tell her or tell them that she was there and leaving at that particular time. There's a text at 8.54 and literally 17 minutes to 18 minutes later, she's missing.

So there's communication and then disappearing.

So how could that not have anything to do with it? Because you're communicating with somebody. So you're letting somebody know she's here. She's there at that time. She lived very close to her work and they didn't have a lot of time. It's not like you could have stayed down in that garage for 20, 30 minutes and hopefully not get seen. It was the parking garage for the entire complex. That's why I believe she was set up and targeted.

What bothers me the most is what did they do with her for two hours? And it's kind of back to what you were saying earlier, that she knows something. Or are they trying to show, if you say something, this could happen to you also? It was too thought out and planned. And the fact that she...

had no reason to be anywhere near Tonopah and that they'd driven her all the way out there. Maybe the car got a flat tire, maybe she was kicking the windows out of the car. I don't know if she was bound. We don't know if when she was shot. We don't know when the bleach was poured in her throat. We just know ultimately that she was still alive when she was lit on fire after all that she had gone through, whether it was a message that they were trying to send

As I had mentioned before, Mercedes was very, very protective. I'm hoping that she didn't die protecting someone, but it's a possibility that she wouldn't give up where someone was or what someone had said or done. And her life was taken because of that. To me, this was done out of hatred.

And hatred can be rooted in a lot of things. And in my opinion, I think that one, it could have been deeply rooted in jealousy from, who knows, there's theories it's an admirer or a stalker or somebody that she may have turned down or possibly even a friend or that it was done out of fear.

of the possibility of her knowing something that she wasn't supposed to know. When it comes down to it, I know she was set up. And who it was, I don't know. But to me, at the top of the list, the last people that she talked to 10 months later, looking at every possible thing, somebody had to know or be told when she was leaving. The only people who would know she was leaving were the people that she was last talking to.

So why nobody's saying anything is just completely cowardly, in my opinion, because

All of these 10 months, it's not like you haven't seen us begging and pleading for answers and for justice for Mercedes. If you know something, say something. Now, one major component of this case that I haven't yet touched on has to do with both Mercedes' car and the car that she was found in. Like you heard them say, when Erica and Tom were made aware of what happened to Mercedes, they weren't given any information about the car that she was found in.

In fact, to this day, they haven't been given any information about this car. Nobody has. And because they weren't given any details right off the bat, they were under the impression that it was Mercedes' car, which...

You know, it would make sense with the information that they were given. However, it wasn't. And this is how they found out. Only a day after her daughter was killed, Erica received a very strange and very upsetting call from the Tempe Police Department. When she picked up the phone, she was told that her car was parked illegally. And after a second of confusion, she realized that they weren't talking about her car. They were talking about Mercedes' car.

Mercedes drove a white Dodge Charger with the license plate LUV333. Because the numbers 333 were very special to her, she considered them her angel numbers. And her mom, Erica, had co-signed the paperwork, hence why her number was on the record and hence why the police reached out to her about moving it. And I'm sure you can imagine the confusion and anger she felt when she received this call. Her daughter had just been killed.

And to her knowledge, she was found inside of her vehicle. So it was very frustrating and confusing why they were concerned about moving this key piece of evidence. She even explained that this couldn't be possible because that Dodge Charger, the one he had called about, had been involved in a homicide. So just imagine the shock and devastation she felt when she learned that wasn't the case. Erica was now finding out that her daughter's car was somewhere else. And on top of that,

The officer wouldn't even tell her where. That's right. Even though she was originally called and asked to move the car, they wouldn't tell her where the car was. And then she, Tom, and all of Mercedes' loved ones found out where the car actually was at the same time that the rest of the public did, which...

Sadly is a common theme in this case. So let's talk about where her car was found because I have a lot to say on this. Mercedes Dodge Charger was found abandoned behind the restaurant Culinary Dropout, which is off of Mill Avenue in Tempe. I mentioned earlier that Tempe is the home to Arizona State University, which makes this a very popular and populated area. And Mill Avenue specifically, where the car was left, is famous.

really a hotspot for college students. It's where all the bars and restaurants are located, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a time where it's not filled with people. And just keep that information in mind for a minute.

We know that on the day that Mercedes was abducted and killed, that her car was in that garage. She would have no reason to walk into the garage unless her car was inside, which means it was not parked behind the culinary dropout. So what does that mean? It means that whoever attacked Mercedes, and at this point I'm led to believe it had to be multiple people, also took her car and moved it to this location. But why? Why?

And sadly, that's the million dollar question here. What is the point of moving her car to this location, a location that's filled with tons of potential witnesses, security cameras and traffic cameras, only to leave Mercedes herself in another car on a very busy interstate? Interstate 10, where she was found, is the main route used to go from Arizona to Southern California. And at all hours of the day and night, it has drivers on it. So

So on top of leaving her car in an area where it could be easily seen, why would her killers also risk leaving her somewhere where they could not only be seen easily themselves, but where Mercedes' body could be so easily found?

Just think about it. They could have pulled off of Interstate 10 and driven, you know, 20 minutes off the road, and it would have taken a lot longer for her body to have been discovered. Yet they leave her next to a busy interstate where they know that she's going to be discovered quickly. And sure, leaving her here gives these sick fucks a much quicker getaway, but it does put them at much higher risk of being seen by a potential witness. ♪

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It just doesn't make sense why they would put themselves at so much risk unless there was a reason for it or they knew they would get away with it. Like maybe they had done this before. And as I'm sure you've probably noticed, I keep saying they because I strongly believe that more than one person had to be involved in this crime. And I know her family feels the same way. Oh no, it seems impossible for this to be a one-man job. And if it was, why wouldn't they just kill her in the parking garage and

and then leave her body there and take the car for a quick getaway. Plus, I highly doubt someone was going to walk away from a burning vehicle by themselves on Interstate 10. Not to mention it would be pretty much virtually impossible for one person to then go back and get Mercedes' car, dump that, and then get away. Someone would have had to go pick this person up after the car was lit on fire, which leads me and many others to believe that

There was at least one other person involved, if not maybe three people or even more. And I say there's potentially three people involved because assuming she was targeted, we have to consider the fact that they weren't just waiting in the garage, hoping Mercedes left her apartment that night. Yes, this was an area where people were coming and going a lot, but it seems pretty illogical to think that whoever did this just happened to have the perfect timing when it came to Mercedes leaving her place and that they...

you know, just got lucky. Like I mentioned right at the beginning of this episode, one theory her friends and family believed to make sense of how her attackers knew when she would be leaving her apartment was the idea that someone could have been setting her up. Maybe someone who she trusted. And I also want to point out that there are a handful of women who

who also have lived at the same apartment complex that Mercedes did, the Aubrey, who claim that they have at one point or another also been close to being abducted. And honestly, after hearing what I've heard from Mercedes' loved ones, this doesn't surprise me. But, and...

Obviously, I don't know this for sure, but I do believe that Mercedes wasn't just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I agree with her loved ones that she was specifically targeted. In fact, when I talked to them on the phone, they told me that one of her friends had mentioned that Mercedes had told them that she felt like someone had been watching her. Now, I don't know when this conversation happened, and I obviously can't say for certain whether it had anything to do with her death, but...

Mercedes was an incredibly intuitive person, and if she felt like something wasn't right, I think that could be the truth. But it's just so frustrating that there is so much information that the police do know and they're not sharing with the public that could really help bring these people to justice. I just have a hard time believing, and I know her friends and family feel the same way, that there is just nothing to share, nothing that would be useful to share with the public.

I just don't believe it. We also have to keep in mind that whoever did this got inside her parking garage, which we know there are cameras there. And between her apartment complex and dumping her car in one of the most populated areas in the city, an area filled with witnesses and security cameras, you know, traffic cameras, we're just supposed to believe that there's no footage and no description of a possible suspect?

I don't know, man. And it's not just about identifying this person or people so that we can bring Mercedes killers or killer to justice. It's also about informing the public about a potentially...

very dangerous person or group of people that is just walking around Tempe. Erica herself used to work for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and knows that there are license plate readers at almost every intersection in the city. So this silence is absolutely maddening and truly makes no sense. And of course, I know that police sometimes have to keep certain information close to the vest to protect the integrity of the investigation. But at this point, it has been almost a year since

Since Mercedes was murdered and there has been no arrest made, no possible suspects as far as we know, and it seems like sharing more information with the public at this point could be the best course of action. From the beginning, we were told very, very little about what happened to Mercedes. I've had to find out by going and getting a copy of her autopsy, asking questions with the police. I even sent them emails.

a list of 100 items they never bothered to ask me about my child but as far as the police handling the investigation we've seen no more footage than what the public has we've received uh we've found information um on twitter that uh the public that someone had put out there um and that was the video of her walking to her parking garage which was the first time i was able to see what

She was wearing the night that she died. They keep it very, very quiet. They don't answer our questions. We've gone down and tried to get information. We've gone to places asking to see video. And most of the time we're turned down or we're told that they've been told not to share it or not to talk about it. Perception is a big thing to me. They have made me believe that my daughter died

doesn't matter. They made me believe because that she danced twice a night that her death, or twice a week, I'm sorry, her death wasn't important as some of these other cases. It took seven months to implement the silent witness program. You've not asked for help. You've not asked for the public. You've not asked us questions. You came to my house one night and

asked me if I'd seen Mercedes, and I'd been out of the country for two weeks, and he never came back. There's cameras everywhere. This case should have been solved months ago. There's cameras right as you pull out of a place where the train goes by. They had to drive right by that. Do I believe that this case will be solved by them? I have to put my hat on that and hang my hat on the judicial system. It's someone we brought to justice. But like I said, I feel that my daughter's case

And like you've heard, it doesn't seem like the police cared to learn as much as they could about Mercedes' life leading up to her murder. Like her parents said, they were never once called to be asked questions about Mercedes. The fact that they never even took the time to ask even the most basic questions about Mercedes' life.

basic questions about her is just frankly inhumane and no parent should ever have to you know wonder if police even really care about solving the murder of their child and it doesn't make it any easier that there is no clear motive here

I mean, her friends and family believe that she was targeted, but no one knows why. They have their own, you know, theories and ideas. But at the end of the day, nobody knows why. Is it possible that Mercedes was being stalked by someone from the club that she worked at?

Did she say something to someone that she wasn't supposed to? Was someone maybe jealous of her? There's also a chance that this could be about money, but even that doesn't really make sense. Mercedes had over $10,000 of cash in her apartment, and that was never touched. And obviously, whoever took her keys also had the keys to her apartment, so if this was about money, why would they not go and get that money? Or, if it was really about money, why not steal her car and sell it? Why just dump it somewhere?

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And of course, nothing will make her murder make sense. But without any answers as to why this happened, you know, her family and friends have been forced to kind of come up with their own theories. One of the theories that I believe is that I think that she may have been, I think they thought that she had some information and they were trying to get that information out of her.

Because we said it earlier, they could have just shot her in the garage and left her. Why take her? Why take the risk? Go from nine to one o'clock unless you're trying to get something out of her or find out something about somebody. I do believe that there's multiple people involved. I do believe that there is most likely a female involved and two males involved because my daughter had probably 5% body fat and she would not

just go silently into the night. They had to be bigger than her, catch her off by surprise. I believe that someone she knew let them know where she was at at that particular time, and they had literally maybe 10 minutes to execute what they had planned. One reason why I believe the car was left on the highway

was it was a show me crime. It's to say, if you open your mouth, this is what could happen to you. Unfortunately, when it comes to her phone records and things we can't see, every Snapchat she sent or every Instagram post, I don't know if it was Mercedes that got caught up in it and that she knew something. They were coming to her to try to get information on someone else and she wasn't willing to give that up.

If she died as a martyr, I don't know if she ran her mouth and pissed somebody off. Jealousy and anger, those are the two theories that we have. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't a mistake. They purposely killed her. She was targeted. She was set up. And most likely she was set up by somebody she knew. Because you don't talk to somebody at 8.54 and 9.15, you go missing. And that's the hardest part for me to just sit back and

And it's kind of where I was talking about the police and then their investigation. That person, to me, should be the biggest person of interest. Every person that was around that person when that text came through should be questioned. Should have been, well, who did you tell or who did you talk to? And then for her to respond back later at 1015 or so, well, I guess you're not coming. It was to cover her track. One of the things about

What happened to her that sticks out to me is the bleach that was found in her throat. To me, there's two possibilities for that. One, because her attackers, attackers, not one, but I think three, two or three at least, to possibly get rid of any DNA. It would not have surprised me in the least if Mercedes bit one of them. Or it could have been a message.

And this is why I think that it could be a fear of her knowing something she isn't supposed to because maybe they did it so that she wouldn't say anything. We're working with what we have and what we have is what we think up here. I was also thinking possibly sex trafficking because that is very common in the Tempe area. But the people that did this obviously knew what they were doing. This wasn't their first time doing it. It honestly just kind of

I feel like bamboozles all of us because she did not deserve this. Something that her friends and family strongly believe is that whoever did this to her didn't know that she had such a strong and dedicated support system who is literally going to stop at nothing.

until these people are brought to justice. After months without answers, Mercedes friends decided to create social media accounts dedicated to spreading awareness. And of course, I'm going to link those below for you so you guys can stay up to date on her case. These accounts are under the handle honoring Mercedes Vega, and you will be able to find updates and information as it comes out.

There's a Twitter, an Instagram, a TikTok, all of which I will have linked below. And I really ask that you take the extra time to show them that support because it really goes a long way knowing that you're not alone in this fight, especially when you feel like you're not getting enough support from law enforcement. Feeling like you have people out there that care and want to see justice for your loved one, it makes a huge difference. I do also want to point out that honoring Mercedes Vega is the only accounts that

run by family and friends and is the most trusted resource for updates and information. It took months for the media to pick up on this story, and they've barely gotten any of that, like I said, so now that people are talking about it, we can't let the noise die down. Also, on November 28th, 2023, her family and friends participated in their first press conference, and it was...

Really, really powerful. So I'm going to link that down below for you guys. After months of being quiet and allowing the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office time to conduct their investigation, her friends and family decided that they're no longer going to sit on the sidelines. They are no longer afraid to get as loud as they need to, to put their faces out there, and they're ready for justice to be served. Since this happened, Mercedes' friends and family have dedicated hours to seeking justice.

On October 2nd, friends and family returned to where her car was found to pass out flyers and ask questions to those who live and work in the area, and they continue to do so each and every month.

But despite conducting their own canvassing efforts and asking local residents and businesses to go through their own security footage, unfortunately, they still have nothing. But they know that answers are out there and they're not giving up until they find them. And last year, on October 17th, they released balloons and lit candles in Mercedes' honor. And seeing the photos from this evening is a great reminder of how loved she was. It's a reminder of how many people Mercedes has in her corner and...

How many people are going to continue to fight until the person or people responsible for her murder are put behind bars? We've done everything we possibly can.

that we know that we can do. There's got to be more to do. We need to bring more light to this. That's why we continue to do things like this, because there's no reason why it should be silent. Someone knows something, and her life at 22 does matter. And it is the biggest thing that I always say, and I've said it multiple times in everything that I've ever done, her life mattered.

And I will do anything and my wife will do anything to help bring these killers to justice. I have had evidence that I had to turn in to the police and I have noticed some suspicious behavior on different Instagram accounts that interacted with her account. You know, it's not that hard to find these things out these days. And I'd say that

People don't realize that, so they're not quite as careful. But I also have been on the phone with Erica constantly. We both

In the beginning, really, really tried to figure this out on our own because we felt like the police weren't doing anything. And they weren't. They weren't telling us anything. We couldn't find anything out. We had nothing. And for a while, we were told to be quiet about it. But we got sick of waiting. So I was on the phone with her and with Erica. And she said...

It's time. It's time to blow this up. And I was like, okay, let's go. That's when the Honoring Mercedes Vega Instagram page was basically born. I have no doubt that by the end of this year, we'll

we'll have our answers and that these fuckers are going to get caught and they will get what's coming to them. I don't live in Arizona anymore, so my physical efforts couldn't really be there, but I did and I still continue to try my hardest on social media by making TikToks and videos to really keep her name alive and making sure nobody forgets her smile and her laugh because that really would radiate through the screen and it still continues to. And I know that

People on social media and people all over the world are hearing her voice and hearing her story. And that's what we want. And that's what we're doing. We like to just kind of walk down the streets and pass out flyers and kind of share her story and...

as sure of a briefing as we can, not only to share her story, but to spread awareness and let people know that it's not safe. The only form of social media that we have is at Honoring Mercedes Vega.

So the Honoring Mercedes Vega profile that we have is the sole account where friends and family are using to post case updates, but most importantly, share information.

who mercedes was what we want people to remember about her like you may have heard mentioned before mercedes loved ones are working with silent witness which is really cool it's a non-profit program that gives people the opportunity to anonymously report crimes to assist law enforcement and as i said earlier they have put together a 2 000 reward but they are really hoping to increase that

So if you are able to, please consider making a donation to this family. You know, any amount, big or small. Of course, if you're not able to,

I completely understand. But anything that you can would really go a long way with this family. But if you can't do that, it would be super helpful to just share information about this case, share this video or share other media related to this case, share her story, pictures of her. People need to know. I mean, there are so many people in Arizona, in Tempe, that don't even know about this case. She was a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a friend.

She made an impact on everyone in her life. And if it were anyone else in this position, she would be fighting just as hard for them. The one thing that we really want people to understand and that is very important is that this is a capital case. Anyone involved in this case is facing the death penalty with abduction, kidnapping, shooting, and killing my child.

Anyone, even if it was the person that just sent the text of where she was going to be, you are all facing the death penalty. And your best bet is to come forward and to talk to, you can call silent witness, but we're not going to show any mercy. There is a murderer, a killer, a cruel, torturing, evil subhuman walking around in Tempe, Arizona, and everyone should be afraid.

Everyone, every child, every mom should be afraid for their child. Every dad should be afraid for their child. Everybody needs to be careful. This murderer is still walking around. This murderer is facing the death penalty. And if you had anything to do with it, you are too. We're not going to stop.

you're going to face capital punishment. So if you weren't aware, you can call, sign a witness, and you can help yourself out. There's also a reward involved, but your best bet is to come forward now. I want people to know that Mercedes was an amazing person. And she was so strong, really. She was taken from us for a reason.

And I feel like that's for us to spread the word and the awareness that you need to be careful out there. Tempe isn't as glorious and as amazing as it seems. If you really look into the missing cases, the kidnappings, we just need to bring awareness to everybody to look over your shoulders, look over your back, do self-defense classes, carry things.

You know, pepper spray if you do. Just be careful out there because this world is evil. It's an evil fucking world out there. It's actually crazy. And it's funny because me and Mercedes would joke about that like it's an evil world out there. We did not even understand how evil it could get. What I want and need people to know about Mercedes is that if you judge her for her line of work...

The problem is you. She was one of the most dedicated, strong, perseverant, stubborn people I ever fucking knew. And she was loving and caring and kind. And when she fought with you, it's because she fucking loved you. And I realize that now more than ever.

And I want you to walk away being careful and aware of your surroundings and paying attention to behavior from strangers. She was like the physical embodiment of an angel. And because some evil, disgusting, vile, scumbag person did what they did, she now is an angel.

that we can't see anymore. And I'm very blessed that Mercedes is such a strong spiritual being. She was before she passed. So now it's like, I feel her all the time. No one is perfect, but she was to me. And I'm going to miss her.

And love her until I take my last breath. And I'm going to fight. I'm going to fight for her as long as I have to. And just a reminder to everyone that Mercedes lived at the Aubrey apartment complex on West Washington Street in Tempe, Arizona. And if you lived here or in the area on April 16th, 2023, please think hard about if you saw something suspicious. And I know that from speaking to her friends that the apartment complex has been actively removing the flyers.

about Mercedes, which is just disgusting to me and I can't wrap my mind around why that would be, but it's just another example of why this needs to be shared with as many people as possible. And maybe if you live in Tempe and you have, you know, security cameras or a ring doorbell, maybe check it from back in April and see if you have anything. I mean, just check. You may not know it, but you might have the missing piece that solves this case, so please,

I'm asking you to just look. Again, Mercedes drove a white Dodge Charger with the license plate LUV333. It's distinct enough that you might recognize it on video. And if you have any information related to the murder of Mercedes Vega, please call 480-WITNESS. That's 480-WITNESS. That number takes you to Silent Witness and you will not be asked a single identifying question. You will be 100% unidentified.

Now, before I wrap up today, I wanted to take time to read a journal entry that Mercedes had written shortly before her passing and gives me chills. It's really, really powerful. It says,

I am allowing the universe to handle everything for me. I recognize the divine is orchestrating all that happens, even in my most tragic moments.

I am being divinely led to my higher purpose. The universe has perfect timing. Mercedes was a very deep, complex, and spiritual person. And there was one thing that her family shared with me when I was on the phone with them, her family and friends, that truly just sent chills down my spine. But there was a time when they were all together doing sort of a celebration of life. And they were outside,

And all of a sudden they look up and they see three balloons going across the sky. And as I mentioned earlier, Mercedes loved the number 333. It was her angel number. It was a very special number to her, so much so that it was on her license plate. Now what's even crazier about this is those balloons were in the shape of threes. It was literally three balloons. The number threes

just floated across the sky in this moment when they are, you know, honoring her life. I mean, I don't know. I know some people out there don't believe in things like this, but to me, that is a sign. And they told me several other, you know, instances where they believe Mercedes is still with them. They still feel her, feel her presence, that she is communicating with them from the other side. And I don't know, just it really...

I think it's really incredible to think about. It is not an option for this case to go cold. There has to be justice for Mercedes. I mean, it seems like this case is so complicated.

easily solvable so again before i go here i just want to ask please take a moment share her story consider donating to the gofundme and support this family's quest for justice people need to be aware of what happened her mom talked a lot about which i thought was so amazing in her time of need she is so concerned about this happening to other people to other parents out there

and wants to make sure that awareness is spread about Mercedes' story for that reason. Working on this case has been incredibly difficult for me and my team. Um...

But I am just so thankful that their family trusted us to tell this story and had the bravery to come out here and share their experience with all of you. So again, I just wanted to thank you all. And that is going to be it for me today, guys. I'm hoping there are updates to share with you all soon. But that is all I have for you today.

Of course, I will have everything you need to help this family linked below. And I know you guys are going to show up for them like you have for so many other families that I have brought onto this show. ♪

That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then stay safe out there.

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