After not hearing from her daughter for hours, a Nevada mother tried tracking her by phone location—only to discover the unthinkable.
Amber Brown’s location data showed she was at the Clark County Coroner’s Office in Las Vegas on June 19, 8 News Now reported this week. That’s where her mother, Cheri Brown, learned what had happened to the 33-year-old nurse after an anxious search that stretched for hours.
“I totally broke down,” Cheri told the outlet, saying she had spent the day calling area hospitals and trying to figure out where Amber had gone.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Amber was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street at around 5 p.m. that day. She was transported to a hospital, where she later died.
Police arrested 37-year-old Angel Franco Merida at the scene, the department said.
A 14-year-old boy who was riding as a passenger in the vehicle was rescued and was not injured.
Amber was not identified by name in the initial police statement, but local outlets 8 News Now and FOX 5 later reported her identity, citing coroner’s office records. Cheri also identified her daughter in multiple Facebook posts.
Cheri told 8 News Now that her devastation has been intensified by the possibility the suspect may never face a trial.
Merida appeared before a Las Vegas judge, who set bail at $50,000. He later posted bond and was released from the detention center, 8 News Now reported, citing unspecified records.
But according to court records obtained by 8 News Now, Merida was later arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and then deported to Guatemala.
“I think it’s horrible,” Cheri told 8 News Now. “I think that they should bring him back. He should serve justice. He killed my daughter. Just because he is from another country — it shouldn’t be a free ticket to just flee the country.”
