She is first heard in the level, "Charlie Don't Surf" while the Blackhawk Helicopter Sgt. Jackson is on is traveling to the coast. She is also seen in the level "Shock and Awe" where she covers Outlaw 2-5 and the ground forces advancing on the city. She is shot down by a Stinger missile right when the nuclear device is said to be probable by the NEST team. Vasquez volunteers to stay behind and help her out, and this unfortunately seals the fate of everyone in Jackson's squad and Pelayo herself.
Vasquez leads Jackson and the other squad members out into the streets and Jackson helps Pelayo out of her helicopter. Her right leg is broken, and Jackson is forced to carry her. After helping her escape from the threats below, Khaled Al-Asad's nuke goes off, killing everyone on the helicopter and downing many other helicopters as well. When the player staggers out of the crashed helicopter, she can be seen on the ground next to the crash site.
Pelayo is tied for the highest ranking USMC officer seen in the field, with the rank of Captain (tied with the apparent CO of the pinned down Marines in the building). She is also the only woman found in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. She is voiced by voiceover actress Anna Graves and modeled after Infinity Ward employee Velinda Pelayo.
Pelayo delivering MP5 fire out of the helicopter at an overwhelming enemy force is a reference to Black Hawk Down, in which the pilot of the crashed Black Hawk shoots enemy insurgents with an MP5 as they try to overtake him and his team.
Pelayo and Grizzly are the only two Americans who have the rank of Captain in the Modern Warfare series.
After Jackson puts Pelayo down in the Sea Knight, she and the other Marines except Outlaw 2-5's pilots will simply vanish (the player will be unable to see this without noclip).
In Jackson's squad, there is sometimes a Marine named Pvt. Pelayo. Pelayo is also a randomly generated name in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. There is also a medic at the beginning of Of Their Own Accord that appears always as Sgt. Pelayo. A Ranger named Sgt. Pelayo can also sometimes be seen in MW3 in the campagain level "Black Tuesday"
Pelayo is the only female combatant to appear in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
When carrying her, Jackson can take more damage than usual. In fact, on Veteran, it is possible to miss the extraction chopper entirely as the player is invariably looking into the sky with a fully red-out screen and can walk right past it.
When she says "You guys miss me?", a Marine shouting "Hell yeah!" can be heard.
Pelayo appears to be quite skilled with the MP5 because after she crashes during the pass and when the player lands she only scores headshots, while shooting with only one hand, best seen if a soldier with a helmet or hat runs up.
There is a building named "Pelayo's" on the multiplayer map Favela and on the single player mission "The Hornet's Nest".
Just like in above, Pelayo and Volker can be seen to in the mission "Crew Expendable", piloting the UH-60 Blackhawk that carries Price and his squad to the ship. This can only be seen via "noclip". Also, sometimes, not only the model but also the name of one of the pilots can be Pelayo.
Her body can be seen on the floor outside of the Sea Knight after the nuke explodes.