Sencere Hayes, 22, was arrested in Tennessee on Nov. 11, in connection with the murder of an Arizona woman found beaten and shot in a burning car last year April

The body of Tempe resident, Mercedes Vega, was discovered in the back of a vehicle in the Tonopah area on April 17, 2023

Vega, a 22-year-old exotic dancer, went missing on April 16, 2023, with surveillance video showing her walking to her car in the parking garage of her apt complex in Tempe

She was found shot and burning alive in the back eat of a Chevy Malibu in the Tonopah area a day later

Cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation and burns, but ME said she had also suffered a gunshot wound, blunt force trauma and had bleach in her throat

Authorities in Maricopa are now working with officials in Tennessee to get Hayes extradited to face charges in Arizona

Investigations are ongoing and more arrests are expected

Last seen walking to her car in the garage of her Tempe apt, Mercedes Vega, [photo], was found dead in a burning car in Tonopah – a different vehicle. Sencere Hayes has been arrested in connection with the murder

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of an Arizona woman who was found dead in a burning car. After she was abducted in Tempe, Mercedes Vega was discovered burning alive in the back of a torched vehicle in the Tonopah area, in April last year.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced that they arrested Sencere Hayes in connection with the high profile murder. Hayes, 22, was arrested on November11, out of state in Tennessee, about a year and a half since Mercedes Vega was found.
22-year-old Mercedes Vega Vega went missing on April 16, 2023, with surveillance video showing her walking to her car in the parking garage of her Tempe apartment. Her body was found at the side of 1-10 a day later, on April 17, 2023.
Her cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation and burns, but she had also suffered a gunshot wound, blunt force trauma and had bleach in her throat according to the medical examiner.
She was last seen walking to her car in the garage of her Tempe apartment, but her body was found in a different vehicle. 

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced they have arrested Sencere Hayes, 22, in Tennessee in connection with the murder of Mercedes Vega, in Tonopah, Arizona, in April 2023. He’s awaiting extradition to Arizona

Vega’ mom Erika and stepfather Tom Pillsbury said Hayes’ arrest has brought them some relief.
‘I lost it. I had to leave; I was at work. I went outside and screamed for her and said, ‘Mercedes, they got him for you. You’re going to be vindicated,’” he told AZ Family.
‘I think she is dancing,’ Erica added when asked what they think Vega would make of the development in the case.
‘She mattered so much to me and she mattered to other people.’

Mercedes Vega was last seen walking to her car in the garage of her apartment in Tempe, on April 16, 2023. She was was found burning alive in a different vehicle in the Tonopah area a day later, on April 17, 2023. She’d been beaten, shot and burned

Mercedes Vega, an exotic dancer in Phoenix, Arizona was a victim of armed robbery six months earlier in October, 2022.
After her parents were told by the police that the suspect in custody, was not known to their daughter, they have speculated that her death might have been linked to the armed robbery incident.
Vega had identified Cudjoe Young as the man responsible in the robbery,after picking him out of a photo lineup. However, the Sheriff’s Office said while Young was out of custody at the time of Vega’s death, his his ankle monitor did not place him at the scene of the crime. 
Vega vanished after telling friends she was going out to meet another set of friends. Her disappearance sparked a frantic manhunt, but she was found dead a day after she disappeared.

Mercedes Vega, [photo], was an exotic dancer at a strip club in Phoenix, with aspirations of becoming a personal trainer. Her cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation and burns. She’d also been shot, had bleach in her throat, according to the ME’s report

Mercedes Vega who performed at a Phoenix strip club had plans to become a personal trainer.
Police discovered blood around her parking spot in her garage, leading family to believe she was attacked there. She’d been beaten, shot and burned, the medical examiner’s report said.
She was discovered in the back seat of a burning Chevy Malibu on Interstate 10, roughly 53 miles west of Phoenix, in the early hours of April 17, 2023.
The Sheriff’s Office is now working with officials in Tennessee to get Hayes extradited across state lines.
The murder investigation is ongoing with more arrests expected, police said.