TEMPE, Ariz. — It's been seven months since a Valley family's life was changed forever. On April 17, the body of Mercedes Vega was found inside a burning car on the I-10 freeway near Tonopah. The 22-year-old had been taken from her apartment complex in Tempe.
Still, nobody has been arrested and every day since has been agonizing for her family.
What happened to Mercedes Vega?
At just 22 years old, Vega was murdered.
“These people actually tortured my daughter," Tom Pillsbury said.
On the night of April 16, around 9:15 p.m., surveillance footage shows Vega walking to her car at her Tempe apartment complex. She was heading out to meet friends and it is the last look at her before she was taken.
“This is so hard for us to grasp. Because as you saw in the video, she did not think anything was going on. Because if she did, she wouldn't be looking down. She would have been paying attention to her surroundings," Tom Pillsbury said.
Her parents said just seconds later, Vega was attacked.
“She was hit over the head and there was tissue and blood in the parking garage. We don't know if she was put in her own vehicle or a different vehicle," Erika Pillsbury said.
What happened next is still unknown.
But at 1 a.m. there was a shocking discovery. Vega's car was found abandoned and parked illegally not far from Mill Avenue. A burning car was seen on the I-10 freeway just west of Tonopah. Her body was found in the backseat.
According to the medical examiner's report, smoke inhalation was a cause of death.
“This lets me sleep at night, is that she was like sleeping and she didn't feel anything," Tom Pillsbury said.
But the report also reveals the type of evil Vega faced before she died.
She had bleach in her throat. She was shot in the arm. She had blunt force trauma to her head.
“She was tortured. Whether it's because she knew something, or something along those lines, or she was about to expose somebody, I don't know that," Tom Pillsbury said. "But these people actually tortured my daughter. I do believe that she was targeted. Because the nature of the crime.”
Tom and Erika Pillsbury said they were close and very communicative. If there had been any safety concerns or people she was suspicious of, they said Mercedes would have told them.
"We have to fight for her because she does matter," Tom Pillsbury said.
It's not just her parents fighting for her. Dozens of friends and loved ones have been spreading awareness about what happened online and through handing out flyers around Tempe throughout the past seven months that have gone by since that horrific April night.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is investigating the homicide case. They declined to answer a list of specific questions asked by 12News but stated they are actively investigating this case.
No suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been made.
“This is a solvable case. 100%," Erika Pillsbury said. "This is solvable. So solve it. It's been seven months. If it's solvable, solve it. I'm tired of waiting.”
One month before she was killed, Vega visited Hawaii, her favorite place, one final time.
“When she came back she said, 'Mom, I want my kids to cremate me and spread my ashes in Hawaii, because that's where my soul belongs,'" Erika Pillsbury said through tears.
Her own parents are now left with her final wish.
“It shouldn’t be us. It should be her kids. She wanted to be a mom," Erika Pillsbury said.
Her parents' unimaginable grief is made heavier by a lack of answers. They are sharing their daughter's story in hopes that the people responsible for ending it will be brought to justice.
“Do we believe someone in our hearts? Yes, we do believe someone will pay for this. But it's really hard to sit back after we waited almost seven months to speak out," Tom Pillsbury said.
No tip is too small. If you have any information about what happened to Mercedes Vega, contact MCSO or you can remain completely anonymous and contact Silent Witness. Just call 480-WITNESS.
Mercedes Vega's story
Reliving memories from the past is what is keeping Tom and Erika Pillsbury moving forward.
“She was probably seven or eight. We were in Hawaii. And we were staying in a hotel that was right on the beach. And she wanted to sing karaoke," recalled Tom Pillsbury, Vega's dad. “I went up and asked and she got up and start singing the National Anthem and the entire street just stopped. I was just so impressed with her. And she was so confident.”
From a young age, Vega's parents say she was confident and driven. Her personality was magnetic.
“She loved horses so much. And they loved her," said Erika Pillsbury. "She was going to be an amazing mom. She just she had something about her that babies were calm with her mammals and animals," Tom Pillsbury added.
Vega went to middle and high school in the East Valley and eventually moved into her own apartment in Tempe. She danced at a club two nights a week to save money to accomplish her goals. Her parents look back at what would be her last journal entry: a list of 2023 goals. At the top of the list was get her personal training certification.
“Pick up a new hobby, be open to relationships that are meaningful, travel," Erika Pillsbury read. “She was just starting to realize that she had so much potential," Tom Pillsbury said.
Now, her parents are experiencing a kind of pain that is impossible to grasp.
“I don't understand why someone would take her life. It just doesn't make any sense," Erika said.