Justice for Mercedes Vega: Uncovering Truth in Tragedy

In this heartrending episode of Criminal Minds Exposed, hosted by retired FBI Behavioral Analysis Program chief Robin Dreeke, we delve into the mysterious and brutal murder of 22-year-old Tempe resident Mercedes Vega, found dead inside a burning car over a year ago. The episode features a moving interview with Mercedes' grieving parents, Tom and Erica, who share intimate details of her vibrant life, her passions, and the profound impact she had on those around her. The discussion also touches upon the night of her murder, her characteristics that made her a beacon of light in people's lives, and the ongoing investigation into her death. Through their candid storytelling, Tom and Erica not only pay tribute to Mercedes but also highlight the significance of community involvement in solving her case. Listeners are urged to come forward with any information that might aid in bringing justice to Mercedes and her family.


Tip Line:  480-948-6377 or
480-837-8446
(Spanish-speaking)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mercedesvega333

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honoringmercedesvega?igshid=ogq5zdc2odk2za%3D%3D

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551663581015

Pre-Order my Latest Book: "Unbreakable Alliances: A Spy Recruiters Authoritative Guide to Cultivating Powerful & Lasting Connections" HERE

Unlocking the Power of Trust: Keynote Speaker Robin Dreeke Shares Secrets to Creating Allies - Robin is the former Chief of the FBI's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program. With over 30 years of experience in recruiting spies and building trust, Robin is the world-renowned speaker you need. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from a true expert. Contact us now to book your event! Click HERE to book a time to chat.

🤔 Take Robin's FREE YouTube Keys to Communication Online Course HERE.

😃 Check out Robin's Speaking, and Training Services HERE.

Transcript

Erika: 0:13

And then I heard this horrible soul crushing scream and I didn't realize. It was me.

Robin: 0:29

Welcome to this special episode of Criminal Minds Exposed and I'm your host, Robin Dreeke, retired chief of the FBI Behavioral Analysis Program. And today we delve into the haunting case of Mercedes Vega. It's over a year since this Tempe resident was found dead inside a burning car, miles away from her home. As we strive to uncover the truth behind her brutal murder, it's crucial that we pay attention to the details that lie outside the normal patterns of Mercedes life, because therein lie the answers to her murder. Mercedes parents, Tom and Erica, join us in this episode to provide a poignant and heartfelt portrait of their beloved daughter. They paint a beautiful picture of who Mercedes was before her life was tragically taken away from us. But we need your help. The key to bringing justice to Mercedes and capturing her murderer lies in your ability to provide tips and leads that may shed light on the events surrounding her death. Let's take a moment to understand who Mercedes Vega was. At just 22 years old, she was a vibrant and driven individual. Her friends and family remember her as kindhearted and beautiful someone, who could convince her loved ones to embark on adventurous through meticulously crafted PowerPoint presentations. Mercedes was not afraid to embrace her passions, even getting a tattoo to commemorate the meaningful moments in her life. The investigation into Mercedes death Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, but updates have been scarce since her body was discovered last spring. Here's what we know about the night Mercedes Vegas life was cut short. On April 17th, 2023, authorities responded to a car fire near Tonopah, just west of her Tempe residence. Tragically, Mercedes was found lifeless in the backseat. The circumstances surrounding her death remain shrouded in mystery with law enforcement providing minimal information. According to flyers and social media posts shared by her parents, she was last seen the night before her body was discovered. Witnesses recall seeing her around 9. 15pm walking to her white Dodge Charger parked in the garage of the Aubrey Apartments in Tempe. It is believed that she was struck on the head and forcibly taken into another vehicle where she was later shot. The car she was in was then set ablaze while Mercedes was still alive. The discovery of Mercedes Charger illegally parked near a complex case. The medical examiner's report obtained by the Arizona Republic revealed that Mercedes death was ruled a homicide caused by burns, smoke inhalation, blunt force trauma, and gunshot injuries. Additionally, the presence of gloves, bleach, and lighter fluid further deepens the mystery. The investigation into Mercedes Vega's murder is ongoing and we implore you to come forward with any information that may aid in solving this heinous crime. If you have any tips, please contact the silent witness line at 480 403 4000. Witness, T N E S S or 480 Testigo, T E S T I G O for Spanish speakers. Alternatively, you can reach out directly to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and also please check out the links in the show notes for more resources and tip lines. So first of all, tell me why you're in Hawaii. It's normally a place where people go to celebrate life and have a good time. Why are you two in Hawaii?

Tom: 3:53

Well, we're in Hawaii, to honor our daughter's last wishes. so much. Our daughter, Mercedes, who was 22 years old. we used to come here a lot when she was younger. and we realized, we didn't realize that this had that much of an impact with her. but a month prior to her passing, she decided to go to Hawaii as an adult. First time ever. the other times that she'd been there, she was little, like seven. nine, ten years old. and then when she got back, she had told her mom that this is where her soul belonged. This is, this is where she was at peace. This is where she felt the most comfortable. because that was when she was little, she was a water baby. She loved to be in the water. so it made kind of sense why she came here. It, it had a lot of good memories for her. You know, where she swam with the dolphins when she was seven years old, you know, singing the national anthem and stopping the entire street, when we were at karaoke at the hotel we were staying at. Going to dinner at Duke's, she made sure when she was here that she went and had dinner at Duke's. she also went out and snorkeled in the area where she was afraid to get off the boat, so she decided, I'm gonna go back there because I couldn't get out of the Was strange because she loves animals. but there was just so many fish in the water, it freaked her out and she wouldn't get off the boat. So she came back as an adult. She made sure she did that. so it just had a lot of symbolic meaning to her. And, and I felt this is, you know, my wife said, this is where we need to go to honor our, our child. And that's why we're here is to honor her.

Robin: 5:40

So as much as you can share the worst day of your life.

Erika: 5:47

there was a knock on the door, which was very strange to me. because they didn't ring the doorbell and that makes my dog bark and a knock may or may not. And I. I looked up to my husband who was up in his office upstairs and I said, did you just hear a knock? And he was like, no. And I looked out the peephole and I saw two men standing there with one of them with a badge around his neck. The other one was in some sort of a uniform, not sure exactly what it was. And, I yelled up to him. I said, it, it looks like cops. We were assuming it was some dispute by our neighbors, that had happened before. And we had just gotten back from vacation for my birthday. We'd been gone for two weeks. And, I opened the door expecting to answer a question of, Did you see or hear anything? And the first thing they said was, Does Mercedes live here? I said, No, but I'm her mom. And they said, They said, Can we come in? That's what they said. Can we come in? And I said, Is my child okay? And they said, Can we come in? I said, Is Mercedes here? Okay. And again, they said, ma'am, can we please come in? And I said, tell me my baby girl is okay. And they said, we need to come in. I'm sorry, ma'am. She's not, she's deceased. And I remember hearing him kind of walking down the stairs, kind of in the background of this awful scenario. And they said that she was deceased. I remember hearing him scream. I remember him. He was not all the way down the stairs. He was on the landing. I remember almost feeling like I heard him falling, but I don't know if that's what actually happened. I, or if he just sat down and I heard him start screaming, no, no, no. And then I heard this horrible soul crushing scream and I didn't realize. It was me. It's only if you've ever seen a little mermaid when Ursula takes Ariel's place, I felt like my soul was being ripped out. Like that somebody had come in through my mouth, through my throat, through my lungs, through my entire body and was tearing out my soul.

Robin: 9:33

And that's the moment that we learned about Mercedes murder.

Erika: 9:39

We learned that she was dead. We didn't know she was murdered.

Robin: 9:42

Not yet. Okay, I don't want to dwell there anymore, because now we're going to go to what you mentioned already. Her soul was in Hawaii. She felt drawn there. So, I want to go there, for everyone listening, I want people to understand I want them to understand what every day was in her life. Because we solve the greatest tragedies in our life by seeing where unhealthy things exist. And we all see it around us and every day. But the only way we can know what we can pass on, the tips, the, and leads that we can give to law enforcement is to see what unhealthy is. And the only way we can see what unhealthy is, is you see what a normal, beautiful life that she led, so that everyone that knew her knows that life. So that when people think and think back on her, they'll say, Oh, there's something a little different on this day. Because very rarely. Does someone just come into our life and murder us? They're part of our lives for a period of time. And so that's where the tips and leads lie. So this is, this is where we're going to talk about the beautiful Mercedes. What was her spark and inspiration to be who she was when she was a little girl

Erika: 11:08

she was born in four minutes.

Robin: 11:12

Wow. I

Erika: 11:13

was in her with her for four minutes.

Robin: 11:18

Envy of all mothers everywhere.

Erika: 11:20

Well, I didn't realize I was in labor. I was just like, oh, I don't really feel that good. she had that same, ability that, and it's something that runs in our family that we just don't feel pain until it's like, oh, this is like a big problem. a high threshold. and I didn't realize I was in labor with her. And then I called up my friend and I said, something's not right. And she said, okay, let me put my makeup on. I'll be over in a little bit. And I was like, nope, you've got to come now. Like something's not right. I got to the hospital at 3 58 and she was born at 4 0 6. we ran every red light and I believe my friend Stacy was hoping we'd be pulled over so we could get like a police escort, but it didn't happen. She came out quiet, calm, perfect, still in her bag of waters, which is I guess like one in a million chances and, perfect. End. So beautiful, just five pounds, three ounces. She was just perfection. she smiled very young. I think she was only two or three weeks old. When she started to smile and, And where did she grow up? In Anchorage, Alaska in the beginning. Right. That's where she was born. And then when she was about one and a half, two, we moved to Las Vegas. Okay. I remember the first thing she said to me when we got there. She said, mama, hot.

Robin: 13:18

No doubt.

Erika: 13:22

Then I took her to the pool, and she took to it like a fish. And she, I would worry about, I was, I'd be like, kid, are you ever going to come up for air? She just loved being in the water.

Robin: 13:40

So her life arc started with the water and it wound up in Hawaii. So when she was younger in those, in those toddler years, as she's starting to get older, what were some of her interests? What was she into besides the water? Or maybe that was all of it.

Erika: 13:53

No, she loved babies. She loved Animals and they all loved she spent so much time connecting with newborns and young children and and animals were everything they were just drawn to her whether it was an animal of the ocean or an animal of you know on land That's what she, she knew and she knew they were attracted to her and that she was a protective person. That she wanted to make sure that they knew that they were safe. Whether it was an octopus that wrapped itself around her arm or a small child that was afraid. She was a base of comfort and security.

Robin: 15:04

Very beautiful. So when she's starting to get older now, probably middle school, high school, was she following these passions? Was that one of the things that she thought she was going to walk a path for?

Erika: 15:14

So she had a horse.

Tom: 15:17

She was undecided when she got to that age. She was, as any kid at that age, she, You know, was wanted to be with her friends and, and trying to find herself because she was just, she was always wanting to be like, she would get upset if she got bad grades. And, and she, she was a straight A student. Yeah. She just, she wanted to, she knew she had a lot in life to offer, and, and we knew that, and that she had a lot, a lot of things to offer. Like when she was seven years old, she created a PowerPoint, why we should go to Disney World So she was very intelligent. She tested very high. in the school district in Arizona. she just didn't know what she wanted to do in life. She was just, but you know, you're 17, you know, 12, 13, 17, you don't know what you want to do. she was still finding herself comfortable with herself. and she

Erika: 16:13

would be afraid. And I think this might be important. and maybe you should tell this about the fact that If she felt like someone was looking at her strangely, she would look to Tom to

Tom: 16:32

Yeah, she was very

Erika: 16:34

Really, she, she, she felt insecure about adults around her in some respects. I mean, she was very young and that's an understandable situation for a You know, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, tween, even young teenage girl. as she got older and she was in her late teens, she would kind of call people out and say, like, take a picture, you know, she was strikingly beautiful was, just, but she always, She needed to know that someone had her back and so she would ask Tom all the time, do you have my back? That

Tom: 17:26

was our, that was our little saying, is that if there, if she felt uncomfortable in a situation, cause she could tell me anything and she knew that like she would call and ask me questions. Like life questions, like she would do something and she'd say, well, what do I need to do here? And I would tell her. And then if she felt uncomfortable, if we were in a surrounding, she would say, you got my back. And that was my saying to her. I got your back. I got your back. I got your back.

Erika: 17:54

Yeah.

Tom: 17:55

She just. She was a very beautiful, driven young woman. it just, she was just figuring out who she was at 22 years. Sure. She was just

Erika: 18:08

turned.

Tom: 18:09

Yeah. So when she was little, she was. You know, into Christmas and, and, and to her family. Like, you know, when we were talking about when she was younger, she would tell her mom how to put the diapers on her nephew, you're doing it wrong. Little, little tiny kid telling her mom, she's doing it wrong. she would get in the middle. Like if there was a birthday party, she would have to be the one to tell them what gifts to open and be in the middle of the family. She just, she would like to be the center of attention, but she also wanted

Erika: 18:40

to make sure. That the person, that the person was enjoying themselves. That was a big thing to her. In fact, even up until the day before she died, she was planning a birthday party for her friend.

Robin: 18:58

So she sounds extremely empathetic. She sounds very intuitive about people, like she could read people very well. Yeah. And she shared all that with you all. So tell me about some of the healthy relationships that she had, you know, so that way people get a really good understanding, because it sounds like she was a magnet for a lot of people, what does a good relationship look like to her?

Erika: 19:20

A lot of people were drawn to her. Her number one, was probably her cousin that was born on her birthday. and he's four years younger than her, but, we were there the day he was born. My sister was pregnant and, they, she's, well, when is he coming? And they said to her, well, he'll be born on his birthday. And she said, How were you born on his birthday? And they were like, yeah, he's that smart. How were you born on his birthday? And then he was born on her birthday. So that was a little bit of a situation, but not really, but they were so close. What made them so close?

Tom: 20:14

She felt that he was born for her. That was her baby. She, she was like, that was her present. That was her

Erika: 20:20

gift.

Tom: 20:20

That was her gift being born. And then they grew up together. What did they

Robin: 20:24

have in common? What did they enjoy doing together?

Erika: 20:27

Besides their, their same birthday? Yeah. they'd go sledding. They would carve pumpkins. they, My sister lives in the house that I grew up in and, you know, they would spend time at my parents place at grandparent, their grandparents together because they're cousins, in the hot tub or out on the lake or, bonfires in the snow. it was just, it was family and it was love.

Tom: 21:02

Mercedes loved her family. In fact, the last trip we took with Mercedes was for family. We went there for Thanksgiving and she actually stayed at their house and regretted because I took her to the airport and she regretted that she was going back early and was already planning on coming back. She just, she loved her family, but she kept her family Close to her. Right. Like a lot of her friends, they didn't know, they knew me a little bit, they knew her mom a little bit, but they didn't know that we talked, you know, weekly or every other day. She just, she kept her private life private and what she was doing, private also. For her friends, one thing I did notice, and then I did not know this about my daughter, there was a lot of people that had, when, when she had passed, had come to our house, and there were people that wrote, when I grow up, I want to be just like you. you don't realize how you've changed my life. see, I'm getting chilled. There's

Erika: 22:00

a light, a beacon, a light,

Tom: 22:04

That we did not realize she touched because as we know, she danced twice a week, and she kept those people kind of, you know, those friends to herself. but when we got to meet them, I got to learn more about my daughter on a deeper thing. I knew what my daughter, who she was and what she stood for. but I didn't realize that she had touched these people, these young ladies as much as, as much as she did. she was just a very spiritual, very driven young woman, was not satisfied, and where she was. And I can't say this, I knew my daughter would get everything she ever wanted. Back to the, you know, the trip to Disney World. She, she wanted that, she came up with it, she sat us down and read that PowerPoint presentation to us. She just was very, a very loving young, young lady. another thing back when we were talking when she was younger, at our church, you have to be a certain age to take care of little babies. Well, they had some babies that were a little difficult and Mercedes said, well, I, I can take care of them. They're like, ah, you're a little too young. And so they let her come in and they said, okay, well, we'll see. She went in the next thing we know she was working in the, with the infants. And, and we used to call her the baby whisperer. Right. Because she just, The baby would get in her arms and just, you know, you know, like a mother feel comfort. And she just had that ability to comfort people and understand where people were coming from. and listened. That's the other thing is she listened. She didn't, you know, at 22, you got your own problems. Why would you want to listen to someone else's problems? But she just she was that kind of person. She was just If she could be there for you, she'd be there for you.

Robin: 23:55

So Erica, one of the things, one of the reasons why I think this is really important and you two are in an extremely unique position as parents that are so close to your daughter is that you noticed something when we were on the Nancy Grace show together that really struck me. You noticed that your daughter was wearing sneakers the day that she was murdered. And it was profound to you that that happened. What was her daily life like normally that she, that that stood out to you?

Erika: 24:27

So, sneakers doesn't confuse me if she was in the gym, but we knew at that point that she was heading out to meet someone. And Mercedes would, she worked out six days a week. She allowed herself one day a week to go and, hang out with friends and drink. she was very regimented in her routine and the fact that she was wearing tennis shoes to me when I went to where she was initially hit over the head and it was a couple days after the fact that I could see this. Like, I could just see the swirl. I could see the movement of the, it was like her, her foot was like this. And I could see that it was turning and it, you can almost see the motion in it. I was like, those aren't high heels. Those aren't, flip flops because that's what she always had on. Or, or, or yeah, heel boots or, or Doc Martens. Yeah, it was the pattern of it. I could see was a tennis shoe. And at that point I had no idea. I'd asked the investigators, what was she wearing? And they wouldn't tell me. And then when I saw it, I had, her baby hat from the day she was born around my wrist. With just a hair tie, just because it was the only thing I had that I felt super, super connected to. And there was a little bit of blood in there from, you know, when they're born really early, they put all these things on them and there was a little tiny bit of blood. And so I was wearing that around my wrist and I'm laying in that blood and right next to me, I see this. Swirl. And it wasn't like it was just a footprint. I could tell that it had movement to it just because of the way that it was a little bit higher on one side, you know, so she was already bleeding. But, you know, if you take something and you, you know, turn it, it's going to be ridged up a little bit higher on one side. I said, Oh my God, she was wearing tennis shoes. That doesn't make any sense to me because she never wore tennis shoes. And it struck me. And I, I didn't know that that was an actual fact until it had been released by someone. media for the last moments that she was actually wearing tennis shoes.

Robin: 27:46

And this is what's really important for people to realize is that when you're close, like you were to her and are to her, you notice small differences in the, in those kinds of details. And. When things go super sideways in someone's life, like they did in Mercedes where she's murdered, it's be there's a lot of signs of things that have gone differently that day. And for everyone listening, I want you to really pay attention. If you know Mercedes, or you know anyone else in your life, where you see something going differently than it normally goes, That's where we pay attention. That's where the clues lie that there's something that we need to say something, do something, and insert ourselves in life because something's not right. And that's why healthy relationships like you all have, and still have with her, is really key and paramount. Erica Tom, what's something that I should have asked you that I didn't ask you, that you wanted to make sure you shared before, we sign off?

Erika: 28:47

Mercedes was very spiritual. I don't know this connected in any way to her death. but she would be a very calming place for people. That they would reach out to her when they felt uncomfortable or uneasy. And if she was not, she wouldn't be there for anyone. If she realized someone was not there for them, she wouldn't take the time. to try to rebuild that relationship. She did have a habit of just saying, I'm not dealing with you. So this very well could be someone that she had been taken care of. She was taking care of them or, an outlet for them to reach out to, whatever the situation might be. And that she just stopped. and that's a good possibility. I also know that there possibly could be a very jealous person involved. Mercedes was strong. She knew what she wanted. she was vibrant and beautiful and tall and noticeable. And the other element of this could be someone who was just jealous. Or Someone who was just infatuated with her. The most important thing that I want people to know is Mercedes was a beautiful, kind, caring, intelligent, amazing person. And she is so loved and so missed. And I would give anything to not be here right now, spreading her ashes here in Hawaii. And to be sitting there in her apartment with her having Top Ramen or something. I just, she's my baby and the most beautiful, kindest, amazing, intelligent, spiritual person I've ever met in my entire life. And the world is at a loss without her.

Robin: 31:18

It truly is. We all get a sense of who she was through you. It is a beautiful soul. Thank you so much for sharing her story, her life story, your story. And all I can do is send you my prayers and love. Thank you so much.

Tom: 31:36

Thank you very much.

Robin: 31:37

As we conclude this episode of Criminal Minds Exposed we want to express our gratitude to Mercedes Vega's parents, Tom and Erica, for their bravery in sharing their daughter's story. Through their words, we have gained insight into the vibrant life Mercedes led before her untimely and tragic death. We also want to extend our deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Mercedes. Your unwavering determination to seek justice for her has not gone unnoticed, and together we stand united in our pursuit of truth. Remember, the key to unraveling the mystery surrounding Mercedes murder lies within our collective efforts. If you have any information that could aid in the investigation, we urge you to come forward. Your tips and leads could be the missing pieces that bring closure to this devastating case. Thanks for joining us in this emotional journey. We hope that by shedding light on Mercedes Vegas story, we have sparked a renewed sense of determination to seek justice for all victims of unsolved crimes. Stay vigilant, stay compassionate, and together, let's make a difference. Until next time, stay safe, my friends.