Autumn Mercado’s coworker at the Huntsman Cancer Institute tells police she is worried something happened to Autumn. Mercado did not show up for work. The nurse reports that Autumn’s husband has a history of domestic violence and fears it may have escalated.

West Jordan police officers respond to 7800 South and Iron Core Lane for a welfare check.

Autumn’s husband, Carlos Mercado Jr., answers the door, visibly intoxicated, with alcohol on his breath. He appears relieved to see them, claiming he was just about to call. As officers follow him inside, they see a woman’s body covered with a blanket at the foot of the stairs.

Mercado struggles to maintain his balance and slurs his speech. He tells officers he found Autumn about six hours earlier but did not realize she was dead. He says he assumed she was sleeping off the drinks they had the night before. Officers notice several open alcohol containers in the kitchen and living room.

Mercado says he and Autumn drank heavily late into the night, and he fell asleep around 4 a.m. When he wakes at 8:40 a.m., he finds Autumn at the bottom of the stairs but cannot wake her. He tells police he believes she passed out from vertigo and fell. Instead of calling 911, he covers her with a blanket, orders a Lyft, and goes to a gas station for more beer, leaving their 1- and 4-year-old children home alone with their mother’s body.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Summer Christiansen - Autumn Mercado Sister of
• Philip Dubé – Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law; Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy
• Dr. Lisa Long – Forensic Psychologist and Owner of Dr. Long and Associates
• Bill Hernandez – California Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Detective
• Dr. Michelle Dupre – Forensic Pathologist and former Medical Examiner, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & “Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide;”Retired Police Detective Lexington County Sheriff’s Department
• Sydney Sumner - Crime Online Investigative Reporter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boyfriend strangles mom of four in front of their 5-year-old son. Houston Evidence locker has an infestation!

For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Naresh Bhatt has been held without bond since August on a felony charge of concealing a dead body, now a grand jury hands up a murder indictment against the man who was married to Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Naresh Bhatt now faces state charges of murder and defiling a body. The charge for defiling a body is due to evidence that shows the body of Mamta Kafle Bhatt was dismembered. Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo says DNA tests proved blood found in Kafle Bhatt’s bedroom belonged to Mamta, with evidence showing she was killed on July 29.

Investigators have been testing evidence found at the Bhatt residence, including what appeared to be blood found on a handheld power saw. DNA testing by Virginia's Department of Forensic Science reports the blood found on the reciprocating power saw matches the DNA profile created by Mamta Kafle Bhatt's hairbrush. This along with new body cam footage give insight into the investigation.

Prosecutors are notifiying the court they intend to offer up results of DNA analysis. It is a state law in Virginia that the commonwealth has to give the defense a notice of intent as the first step to get that DNA evidence into the trial. The state is providing four certificates of analysis from the Virginia Department of Forensic Science showing results of the DNA evidence collected during the investigation. DNA was collected from Mamta's hairbrush, a piece of carpet, a garbage can, and a reciprocating saw and knives.

Naresh Bhatt's trial is scheduled for September 8.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Nadia Navarro - Friend
• Wendy Patrick – California prosecutor, Author: “Red Flags” www.wendypatrickphd.com ‘Today with Dr. Wendy’ on KCBQ in San Diego; X: @WendyPatrickPHD wendypatrickphd.com, ‘Today with Dr Wendy’ on KCBQ in San Diego, Twitter: @WendyPatrickPHD
• Dr. John Delatorre – Licensed Psychologist and Mediator (specializing in forensic psychology); Psychological Consultant to Project Absentis: a nonprofit organization that searches for missing persons; Twitter, IG, and TikTok – @drjohndelatorre
• Brian Fitzgibbons – VP of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security; Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security, Kingsman Philanthropic’s 2022 rescue missions of women and children in Ukraine, Iraq War Veteranide_security
• Dr. Kendall Crowns – Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth) and Lecturer: University of Texas Austin and Texas Christian University Medical School
• Tami Ballard - DNA and Crime Scene Consultant, Crime Scene Investigation and Reconstruction, Law Enforcement Liaison at Othram, Inc. / Fmr. DNA Criminalist in the San Francisco Police Dept. Crime Laboratory, StreamlineDNAconsultants.com
• Dave Mack - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.