Latest news with #BlossomTheBeautyLounge
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Valeria Marquez: Who was Mexican influencer killed live on TikTok?
When a 23-year-old Mexican influencer was shot dead while live streaming on TikTok, rumours began to swirl. Was it a cartel hit? Or another tragic example of violence against women? On Tuesday, Valeria Marquez was shot dead at Blossom The Beauty Lounge, a beauty salon owned by the victim in Zapopan, a town in the central-eastern state of Jalisco. The state prosecutor's office said it is investigating the crime as a femicide, meaning that it believes the crime was motivated by the fact the victim was a woman. The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, said an investigation is under way: "We're working to catch those responsible and find out why this happened." But the fact that the crime took place in Jalisco, the state where the feared Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) emerged, led to speculation by some that the cartel may somehow be involved. Ms Marquez was a Mexican model who began to make a name for herself in 2021 after winning the Miss Rostro (Miss Face) beauty pageant, according to Mexican media reports. Shortly thereafter, she began creating content on social media. She would share makeup tips and personal care routines, talk about fashion and show off her travels. Photos of her on private jets and yachts can be seen on her Instagram account, which had more than 223,000 followers at the time of her death. Ms Marquez also had another 100,000 followers on TikTok. Although it is unclear exactly what happened, during her final livestream, Ms Marquez said she was waiting for a courier she knew to deliver a gift. She added that she was a bit worried, because her friend could not see the courier's face when he arrived. "Why didn't he just drop it off (the gift)? Were they going to pick me up (kidnap me) or what?" she wondered aloud to her followers. While holding a pink stuffed animal, Ms Marquez looked away from the camera and immediately grabbed her chest and belly before collapsing into her chair. Another woman then took the phone and ended the livestream. Police arrived at the scene around 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT) and confirmed Ms Marquez's death, according to the state prosecutor. Authorities say that at least two men on motorcycles arrived at the salon and one of them asked the victim if she was Valeria. When she replied "yes," he pulled out a gun and shot her at least twice before fleeing. Investigators say they are checking CCTV footage and tracking Ms Marquez's social media accounts for clues as to who the attackers might be. Mexican beauty influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream But the salon's location in the wealthy Zapopan area of Guadalajara has raised questions about the motive for the crime. While the presence of private security and the tidyness of its streets give the impression that Zapopan is a safe area, in reality it is one of the most violent municipalities in Jalisco. In fact, shootings regularly occur in the area's luxurious shopping centres. More than half of the real estate and commercial development in the area is connected to the laundering of drug trafficking money, according to the US Department of Justice. Jalisco ranks sixth among Mexico's 32 states, including Mexico City, in terms of homicides, with 906 murders registered since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum's term in October 2024, according to data consulting firm TResearch. It is also one of the Mexican states most affected by the cartels. It was here, 50 kilometres from Zapopan, that a cartel training centre was found in March, and it is here that 15,000 people have disappeared since 2018. The same day that Márquez was killed, a former congressman named Luis Armando Córdoba Díaz was murdered just two kilometres away, according to the newspaper Reforma. According to the state of Jalisco, as many as 90% of crimes are never reported or investigated. The state attorney's office has also long been accused of having links to cartels, which it denies. The prosecutor's office said that so far they have no reason to suspect that Ms Marquez's murder was ordered or carried out by any of the organised criminal groups operating in the area. Instead, the office suggested the murderer may have been motivated to kill her because of her gender. Mexican media outlets had previously published messages in which Ms Marquez blamed her ex-partner if anything happened to her. Mayor of Zapopan Juan José Frangie said his office had no record of Ms Marquez requesting help from the authorities due to threats against her, adding "a femicide is the worst thing", according to news agency AFP. "In response to claims pointing to alleged perpetrators of the femicide in Zapopan, we clarify that there are no direct accusations against any individual in the investigation file," the Jalisco prosecutor's office said in a statement. "All statements and clues, including videos and social media posts, are being analysed. The investigation is being conducted under the femicide protocol, with a gender perspective, without revictimisation and in accordance with the principles of legality, impartiality and respect for human rights," it added. Gender-based violence is a serious problem in Mexico, a country that ranks fourth in Latin America and the Caribbean for rates of femicide, behind Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia. According to the latest data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), there were 1.3 deaths per every 100,000 women in Mexico in 2023, Reuters reported. Less than 48 hours before Ms Marquez's murder, Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, a mayoral candidate for Morena (the ruling party) in the city of Texistepec, Veracruz, was killed while participating in a political motorcade. Like the influencer's case, the politician's murder was recorded by cameras because the event was being live-streamed on Facebook. Listen to Femicide: Eight Steps to Stop a Murder Chile blazes trail for children of femicide victims Mexican prosecutors accused of covering up murder
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Killing of a Mexican influencer live on TikTok raises questions
When a 23-year-old Mexican influencer was shot dead while live streaming on TikTok, rumours began to swirl. Was it a cartel hit? Or another tragic example of violence against women? On Tuesday, Valeria Marquez was shot dead at Blossom The Beauty Lounge, a beauty salon owned by the victim in Zapopan, a town in the central-eastern state of Jalisco. The state prosecutor's office said it is investigating the crime as a femicide, meaning that it believes the crime was motivated by the fact the victim was a woman. The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, said an investigation is under way: "We're working to catch those responsible and find out why this happened." But the fact that the crime took place in Jalisco, the state where the feared Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) emerged, led to speculation by some that the cartel may somehow be involved. Ms Marquez was a Mexican model who began to make a name for herself in 2021 after winning the Miss Rostro (Miss Face) beauty pageant, according to Mexican media reports. Shortly thereafter, she began creating content on social media. She would share makeup tips and personal care routines, talk about fashion and show off her travels. Photos of her on private jets and yachts can be seen on her Instagram account, which had more than 223,000 followers at the time of her death. Ms Marquez also had another 100,000 followers on TikTok. Although it is unclear exactly what happened, during her final livestream, Ms Marquez said she was waiting for a courier she knew to deliver a gift. She added that she was a bit worried, because her friend could not see the courier's face when he arrived. "Why didn't he just drop it off (the gift)? Were they going to pick me up (kidnap me) or what?" she wondered aloud to her followers. While holding a pink stuffed animal, Ms Marquez looked away from the camera and immediately grabbed her chest and belly before collapsing into her chair. Another woman then took the phone and ended the livestream. Police arrived at the scene around 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT) and confirmed Ms Marquez's death, according to the state prosecutor. Authorities say that at least two men on motorcycles arrived at the salon and one of them asked the victim if she was Valeria. When she replied "yes," he pulled out a gun and shot her at least twice before fleeing. Investigators say they are checking CCTV footage and tracking Ms Marquez's social media accounts for clues as to who the attackers might be. Mexican beauty influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream But the salon's location in the wealthy Zapopan area of Guadalajara has raised questions about the motive for the crime. While the presence of private security and the tidyness of its streets give the impression that Zapopan is a safe area, in reality it is one of the most violent municipalities in Jalisco. In fact, shootings regularly occur in the area's luxurious shopping centres. More than half of the real estate and commercial development in the area is connected to the laundering of drug trafficking money, according to the US Department of Justice. Jalisco ranks sixth among Mexico's 32 states, including Mexico City, in terms of homicides, with 906 murders registered since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum's term in October 2024, according to data consulting firm TResearch. It is also one of the Mexican states most affected by the cartels. It was here, 50 kilometres from Zapopan, that a cartel training centre was found in March, and it is here that 15,000 people have disappeared since 2018. The same day that Márquez was killed, a former congressman named Luis Armando Córdoba Díaz was murdered just two kilometres away, according to the newspaper Reforma. According to the state of Jalisco, as many as 90% of crimes are never reported or investigated. The state attorney's office has also long been accused of having links to cartels, which it denies. The prosecutor's office said that so far they have no reason to suspect that Ms Marquez's murder was ordered or carried out by any of the organised criminal groups operating in the area. Instead, the office suggested the murderer may have been motivated to kill her because of her gender. Mexican media outlets had previously published messages in which Ms Marquez blamed her ex-partner if anything happened to her. Mayor of Zapopan Juan José Frangie said his office had no record of Ms Marquez requesting help from the authorities due to threats against her, adding "a femicide is the worst thing", according to news agency AFP. "In response to claims pointing to alleged perpetrators of the femicide in Zapopan, we clarify that there are no direct accusations against any individual in the investigation file," the Jalisco prosecutor's office said in a statement. "All statements and clues, including videos and social media posts, are being analysed. The investigation is being conducted under the femicide protocol, with a gender perspective, without revictimisation and in accordance with the principles of legality, impartiality and respect for human rights," it added. Gender-based violence is a serious problem in Mexico, a country that ranks fourth in Latin America and the Caribbean for rates of femicide, behind Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia. According to the latest data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), there were 1.3 deaths per every 100,000 women in Mexico in 2023, Reuters reported. Less than 48 hours before Ms Marquez's murder, Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, a mayoral candidate for Morena (the ruling party) in the city of Texistepec, Veracruz, was killed while participating in a political motorcade. Like the influencer's case, the politician's murder was recorded by cameras because the event was being live-streamed on Facebook. Listen to Femicide: Eight Steps to Stop a Murder Chile blazes trail for children of femicide victims Mexican prosecutors accused of covering up murder
Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
What is femicide? Mexican TikToker Valeria Marquez's murder sparks theories
Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old Mexican beauty influencer and TikTok star, was fatally shot on Tuesday night in Zapopan, Mexico. Sitting inside her beauty salon, she smiled into the camera as she livestreamed to her fans. The Mexican beauty was opening a delivery, a stuffed animal, as the livestream continued, an armed man entered the salon and opened fire. Valeria was shot and collapsed on camera. At first, some of her viewers thought it might be a prank. But it wasn't. The livestream kept rolling until a not-so-familiar face finally picked up the phone and ended it. The shooting happened inside Valeria's salon, Blossom The Beauty Lounge, located in the Santa María shopping plaza in the Real del Carmen neighbourhood. Authorities quickly responded, and the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation. Her death is being treated as a suspected femicide, a specific kind of gender-based killing that's all too common in Mexico. ALSO READ| Valeria Marquez death: Who is Ricardo Ruiz Velazco, man linked to Mexican influencer's shooting? Femicide is not only the killing of a woman. It happens when a woman is found and killed simply because of her gender. Misogyny, control, and violence are usually the strong motivators behind such acts. Amnesty International cited that one in four female killings in Mexico in 2020 were probed as femicides. The psychology behind femicide details how men who commit such crimes may feel entitled to control women's lives, or punish them for asserting independence, rejecting advances, or, as in Valeria's case, simply being seen and successful in public. As a TikTok and beauty entrepreneur, Valeria had amassed over 149,000 on Instagram and more than 114,000 on TikTok. Just before her death, she posted a mirror selfie to her Instagram Stories alongside photos and modelling shots. ALSO READ| Valeria Marquez death: Can you guess the murdered TikTok star's net worth? Notably, Valeria's murder came just days after a female mayoral candidate in Veracruz was also killed during a live stream in another femicide probe.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Killing of a Mexican influencer live on TikTok raises questions
When a 23-year-old Mexican influencer was shot dead while live streaming on TikTok, rumours began to swirl. Was it a cartel hit? Or another tragic example of violence against women? On Tuesday, Valeria Marquez was shot dead at Blossom The Beauty Lounge, a beauty salon owned by the victim in Zapopan, a town in the central-eastern state of Jalisco. The state prosecutor's office announced that it is handling the crime "under the femicide protocol," meaning that it believes the crime was motivated by the fact the victim was a woman. The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, said an investigation is underway: "We're working to catch those responsible and find out why this happened." But the fact that the crime took place in Jalisco, the state where the feared Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) emerged, led to speculation by some that the cartel may somehow be involved. Ms Marquez was a Mexican model who began to make a name for herself in 2021 after winning the Miss Rostro (Miss Face) beauty pageant, according to Mexican media reports. Shortly thereafter, she began creating content on social media. She would share makeup tips and personal care routines, talk about fashion and show off her travels. Photos of her on private jets and yachts can be seen on her Instagram account, which had more than 223,000 followers at the time of her death. Ms Marquez also had another 100,000 followers on TikTok. Although it is unclear exactly what happened, during her final livestream, Ms Marquez said she was waiting for a courier she knew to deliver a gift. She added that she was a bit worried, because her friend could not see the courier's face when he arrived. "Why didn't he just drop it off (the gift)? Were they going to pick me up (kidnap me) or what?" she wondered aloud to her followers. While holding a pink stuffed animal, Ms Marquez looked away from the camera and immediately grabbed her chest and belly before collapsing into her chair. Another woman then took the phone and ended the livestream. Police arrived at the scene around 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT) and confirmed Ms Marquez's death, according to the state prosecutor. Authorities say that at least two men on motorcycles arrived at the salon and one of them asked the victim if she was Valeria. When she replied "yes," he pulled out a gun and shot her at least twice before fleeing. Investigators say they are checking CCTV footage and tracking Ms Marquez's social media accounts for clues as to who the attackers might be. Mexican beauty influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream But the salon's location in the wealthy Zapopan area of Guadalajara has raised questions about the motive for the crime. While the presence of private security and the tidyness of its streets give the impression that Zapopan is a safe area, in reality it is one of the most violent municipalities in Jalisco. In fact, shootings regularly occur in the area's luxurious shopping centres. More than half of the real estate and commercial development in the area is connected to the laundering of drug trafficking money, according to the US Department of Justice. Jalisco ranks sixth among Mexico's 32 states, including Mexico City, in terms of homicides, with 906 murders registered since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum's term in October 2024, according to data consulting firm TResearch. It is also one of the Mexican states most affected by the cartels. It was here, 50 kilometres from Zapopan, that a cartel training centre was found in March, and it is here that 15,000 people have disappeared since 2018. The same day that Márquez was killed, a former congressman named Luis Armando Córdoba Díaz was murdered just two kilometres away, according to the newspaper Reforma. According to the state of Jalisco, as many as 90% of crimes are never reported or investigated. The state attorney's office has also long been accused of having links to cartels, which it denies. The prosecutor's office said that so far they have no reason to suspect that Ms Marquez's murder was ordered or carried out by any of the organised criminal groups operating in the area. Instead, the office suggested the murderer may have been motivated to kill her because of her gender. Mexican media outlets had previously published messages in which Ms Marquez blamed her ex-partner if anything happened to her. Mayor of Zapopan Juan José Frangie said his office had no record of Ms Marquez requesting help from the authorities due to threats against her, adding "a femicide is the worst thing", according to news agency AFP. "In response to claims pointing to alleged perpetrators of the femicide in Zapopan, we clarify that there are no direct accusations against any individual in the investigation file," the Jalisco prosecutor's office said in a statement. "All statements and clues, including videos and social media posts, are being analysed. The investigation is being conducted under the femicide protocol, with a gender perspective, without revictimisation and in accordance with the principles of legality, impartiality and respect for human rights," it added. Gender-based violence is a serious problem in Mexico, a country that ranks fourth in Latin America and the Caribbean for rates of femicide, behind Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia. According to the latest data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), there were 1.3 deaths per every 100,000 women in Mexico in 2023, Reuters reported. Less than 48 hours before Ms Marquez's murder, Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, a mayoral candidate for Morena (the ruling party) in the city of Texistepec, Veracruz, was killed while participating in a political motorcade. Like the influencer's case, the politician's murder was recorded by cameras because the event was being live-streamed on Facebook. Listen to Femicide: Eight Steps to Stop a Murder Chile blazes trail for children of femicide victims Mexican prosecutors accused of covering up murder
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
What happened to Valeria Marquez, Mexican influencer shot live on TikTok?
A 23-year-old Mexican influencer, Valeria Marquez, was fatally shot on Tuesday while livestreaming on TikTok from her beauty salon in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Marquez, who had more than 113,000 followers on the platform, was broadcasting to her audience when the attack occurred. According to a statement from the Jalisco state prosecutor's office, the case is being investigated under femicide protocols, applied in instances where a woman is killed due to her gender. As of Wednesday, Marquez's TikTok account appeared to have been removed. Here is what we know: Marquez was working inside Blossom The Beauty Lounge when the attack happened. She was livestreaming on TikTok at the time. In the video, she is seen sitting at a table, holding a stuffed pink pig toy, and is heard saying, 'He is coming.' A man's voice in the background then asks, 'Hi, are you Valeria?' to which she replies, 'Yes.' At that moment, she turns off the microphone, and seconds later, she is shot dead. The man whose voice was previously heard is not visible in the video. According to reports, the man who shot her then hopped onto a motorbike and fled. Meanwhile, on the video – still being streamed live – Valeria is seen grabbing her chest and stomach before she collapses in her chair. She appears to have been shot twice, with at least one bullet hitting her torso. The face of another woman briefly appears before the video ends. Earlier in the same video, Valeria revealed information that has set off speculation over a possible link to the events leading to her death. 'Hey, what do you think happened to me?' she says. 'I was doing some things today, and Erika called me and said, 'Hey, babe, they're bringing you something, and I don't know what, but they want to give it to you.'' It's unclear who Erika is. I said, 'Oh, I'll be there in about an hour,' and the delivery guy said, 'I'd better wait for her because it's really expensive.' 'Who's going to give me something?' she asked on the video. In the livestream, she said at another point, 'Dude, they might've been about to kill me.' It's unclear who she's referring to or what prompted her to say this. According to authorities, she was still in the chair, holding onto the stuffed pig, when they arrived. The crime is now being investigated as the eighth femicide so far this month in Jalisco. According to local media, Valeria rose to fame on social media thanks to her content about beauty, lifestyle and entrepreneurship. She had more than 113,000 followers on TikTok and at least 70,000 followers on Instagram. She owned the beauty salon located in Zapopan, where she shared aesthetic tips and personal moments with her audience. She opened it in 2024. According to the publication El Financiero, in 2021, Marquez was crowned Miss Rostro, a local beauty contest, which solidified her presence in the world of modelling and beauty. In addition to her professional career, she maintained a close relationship with her followers, openly sharing details about her personal life. According to the latest data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico shares the fourth-highest femicide rate in the region, tied with Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, at 1.3 deaths per 100,000 women in 2023. The top three are Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Brazil. Jalisco is ranked sixth out of Mexico's 32 states, including Mexico City, for homicides, with 906 recorded there since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum's term in October 2024, according to the data consultancy TResearch. The United Nations says that about 10 women or girls are murdered every day in Mexico According to AFP, Zapopan Mayor Juan Jose Frangie stated that his office had no record of Marquez seeking assistance from authorities regarding any threats. He added that 'femicide is the worst thing'. This killing took place just days before another woman, a mayoral candidate in the state of Veracruz, was also shot dead during a livestream alongside three other people. President Sheinbaum, in a statement, said she had no information yet about the motive.
