Nearly three weeks ago, authorities announced an arrest in the brutal murder of Mercedes Vega, an exotic dancer who was found dead in a burning car on an Arizona highway 19 months ago.
Vega’s mother, Erika Pillsbury, says the development has brought her closer to a sense of closure, but she still doesn’t understand the grim circumstances surrounding the murder – why her daughter would have been kidnapped, why she suffered such a gruesome death and who else. have been involved.
“When I finally put all the pieces of this puzzle together, I don’t know if I’ll be more angry, just as angry or less angry,” she said in an interview Wednesday.
“I’m sure there are mothers out there who don’t want to know,” she added. “I want to know.”
Since the arrest last month of Sencere Hayes, 22, on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with Vega’s killing, authorities have not provided details on a possible motive nor discussed Hayes’ link to Arizona.
Public records list Hayes’ address in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
An indictment shows he was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and robbery in connection with the April 17, 2023, killing of 22-year-old Vega.
Mercedes Vega with her mother, Erika.
During his first appearance in a Maricopa County courtroom last week, a prosecutor in the case said the murder investigation is ongoing and that other people she has not identified are involved.
A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said he understands the many questions that remain about the case, but declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigation. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office also mentioned the status of the case and declined to comment.
In a statement last week, Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said that while there is still much work to be done, working with state, local and federal partners, we hope this arrest brings Mercedes’ family one step closer to finding justice. brings closure to this case. heinous crime.”
During his arraignment Wednesday, Hayes pleaded not guilty. He is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, jail records show. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pillsbury said she and her husband sat directly behind Hayes in the courtroom “because we wanted to make sure he knew we were there.”
“We can’t talk to him, but I can look at a hole in the back of his head,” she said.
Vega, who danced at a Phoenix strip club and had plans to open her own gym and become a personal trainer, was last seen at her apartment complex in Tempe, just east of Phoenix, shortly after 9 p.m. on April 16, 2023. The camera captured her entering the building’s garage.
Authorities have not said what they think happened next. Her family has said they found blood on the garage floor next to where she parked her Dodge Charger, leading them to believe she may have been attacked and kidnapped.
Security footage of Mercedes Vega.
Hours later, in the early morning hours of April 17, Vega’s body was discovered in the backseat of a burned-out Chevy Malibu on Interstate 10 near Tonopah, west of Phoenix.
Her autopsy showed she had been beaten, shot and burned and her face appeared to have been doused with bleach, according to a forensic pathologist who reviewed the document for NBC News.
It is not clear who owned the Chevy Malibu. According to an incident report, the vehicle had a salvage title and a spokesperson for the most recent owner, State Farm Insurance, declined to comment.
The car was discovered after someone saw it in the westbound lane of the highway with flames in the backseat and called 911, the report said.
On April 18, Vega’s Charger was found parked in the middle of a street about a mile from the garage, authorities previously said. According to Hayes’ criminal complaint, he allegedly stole the vehicle.
“Did he follow her?” Pillsbury said of Hayes. “Did he accidentally run into her?”
“It’s that unknown that can be very difficult,” she said. “The truth will show us what really happened.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
