Man, 22, arrested after woman, also 22, found dead inside burning car down ditch and had bleach in her throat

22-year-old Mercedes Marianna Vega, was found dead in Arizona, on April 17 2023, and investigation in to her death has been on-going ever since.

On Monday November 11, authorities arrested 22-year-old Sencere Hayes in Tennessee in connection with her death, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to American publication People.

Vega, who was a dancer, was last seen in the car park of her Tempe residence the day before she was found dead, according to her parents, NBC News, ABC 15 and FOX 10 Phoenix reported.

Video footage from the time shows her walking at about 9pm, according to a still photo shared by NBC News. Her family told ABC 15 they believe that was the last time she was seen alive and that she was taken from the car park.

Vega's mum, Erika Pillsbury, told FOX 10 Phoenix the family later found "blood all over her parking spot."

Then, on April 17 2023, police responded to a report of a vehicle on fire down a ditch in Tonopah, reported 12 News.  A body was found in the car and authorities were able to identify the victim as Vega, said NBC News.

She was found with bleach in her throat, and had suffered blunt force trauma and a gunshot wound, according to the medical examiner, ABC 15 and NBC News reported. A forensic pathologist who reviewed her autopsy told NBC News that it appeared the victim’s face had been doused in bleach.

Vega was an exotic dancer and also an aspiring personal trainer, her father Tom Pillsbury told American news programme Dateline. Paying tribute to her late daughter, her mother told the same show: "You always knew when she was around, and she was always so true to herself and she encouraged so many people to be who they were wholly, fully, without excuse."

In her obituary, which was posted online shortly after her death, Vega was remembered as a straight-A student who played the violin, had a “huge heart” and "always stood up for others and protected those who could not protect themselves."

The person or people who wrote the obituary, thought to be her family, also wrote: “She quickly established her place in this world as a considerable energy. She made a substantial impact on everyone she encountered.” They added: “She did not apologise for who she was, and yet was always uplifting and encouraging those around her.”

Police have not released information on a possible motive or if they believe the suspect knew Vega. Her parents told FOX 19 Phoenix, however, that Vega did not know Hayes.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is now working to extradite Hayes to bring him to Arizona. They did not comment on possible charges he is facing. In a statement, the office also told ABC 15 they anticipate more arrests in the case.