Latest news with #JaliscoStateProsecutor'sOffice
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Time of India
TikTok fame turns deadly, Latin American influencers Maria Jose Estupiñan and Valeria Márquez slain in almost identical fashion
A grim week for Latin America's influencer community In a harrowing span of days, two young Latin American influencers met tragic ends, underscoring the perilous intersection of digital fame and gender-based violence . The 22-year-old Colombian influencer Maria Jose Estupiñan Sanchez, known online as "La Mona," was on May 15 fatally shot outside her home in Cúcuta. A man posing as a delivery driver approached her with a fake gift before opening fire and fleeing the scene. Estupiñan, a university student with a growing TikTok following, had recently won a domestic violence case against her ex-boyfriend, who is now a primary suspect in her murder. Also read: Who was Valeria Marquez? Beauty influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream in Mexico Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Car Novels Undo Just two days prior, on May 13, Mexican influencer Valeria Márquez was killed during a TikTok livestream from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco. The 23-year-old, with nearly 200,000 followers across platforms, had expressed unease about a suspicious delivery earlier that day. During the livestream, a man entered the salon, confirmed her identity, and shot her multiple times before escaping. Investigations point to targeted attacks Authorities in both Colombia and Mexico are treating these cases as potential femicides, defined as the killing of women because of their gender. In Estupiñan's case, her recent legal victory against an abusive ex-partner adds weight to suspicions of a targeted attack. Live Events For Márquez, prosecutors suspect the involvement of hired assassins, a grim tactic increasingly common in regions plagued by organized crime. The Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office noted that sicarios or contract killers on motorcycles have become a disturbing trend in the area. Both incidents have sent shockwaves through the influencer community and beyond, igniting debates about the vulnerabilities faced by women in the public eye. Also read: Netflix true-crime documentary 'American Murder: Gabby Petito' explores 2021 disappearance of the vlogger that shocked the US A broader crisis of femicide and digital vulnerability These tragedies are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of violence against women in Latin America. According to the Colombian Observatory of Femicides, 886 femicides were recorded in Colombia in 2024, with a staggering 73% of cases from 2021 to 2023 remaining unsolved. In Mexico, the situation is equally dire. The country ranks fourth in Latin America and the Caribbean for femicide rates, with 852 women killed as a result of femicide in 2023. The rise of social media has offered women new platforms for expression and entrepreneurship but has also exposed them to heightened risks. The public nature of their work can make them targets for harassment, stalking, and, in these tragic cases, lethal violence. As investigations continue, the deaths of Estupiñan and Márquez serve as stark reminders of the urgent need for systemic change to protect women, both online and offline.
NDTV
18-05-2025
- NDTV
"Maybe They Will Kill Me": Mexican Influencer Minutes Before Being Shot
A Mexican influencer was shot dead inside her beauty salon during a TikTok livestream, moments after she voiced fears about being killed. Valeria Marquez was known for showcasing a lavish lifestyle, often posting images aboard yachts, next to private jets, and shopping at upscale boutiques. "Maybe they were going to kill me," the 23-year-old said during the livestream from her salon in Jalisco on Tuesday. "Were they going to come and take me away? I'm worried." Shortly after her remarks, a man off-screen called out, "Hey Vale," to which she responded, "Yes?" and then muted the video. Ms Marquez was handed a stuffed animal and a Starbucks coffee bag before she was shot in the head and chest by a man who had earlier posed as a delivery driver, according to Denis Rodriguez, spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office. Mr Rodriguez told CBS News that the attacker had arrived earlier on a motorcycle with another man, claiming to deliver an "expensive gift" to the influencer. After handing over the items, the man left, only to return and carry out the fatal shooting. A person appeared to pick up Ms Marquez's phone after the shooting, with their face briefly shown on the livestream before it ended. TikTok has since taken down her account. While the shooter has not been identified, Mr Rodriguez noted the region is under the control of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The method used, gunmen on motorcycles, is a tactic commonly employed by cartel hitmen, known locally as "sicarios." "The aggressor arrived asking if the victim (Ms Marquez) was there. So it appears he didn't know her," Mr Rodriguez said. "With that, you can deduce, without jumping to conclusions, that this was a person who was paid. It was obviously someone who came with a purpose." Authorities are also looking into whether Ms Marquez's murder is connected to the killing of a former Congressman just hours earlier in the same area of Guadalajara. That attack, too, was carried out by gunmen on motorcycles inside a shopping mall.
International Business Times
17-05-2025
- International Business Times
Valeria Marquez: Beauty Influencer Shared with Fans that She Feared She Would be Killed Minutes Before She Was Shot Dead During TikTok Livestream
A beauty influencer who was shot dead during a TikTok livestream revealed her fear just moments before she was killed, telling her followers, "I'm worried." Valeria Marquez, 23, was shot dead on Tuesday inside her beauty salon in Jalisco, Mexico, while her phone was streaming live. The shooter remains unidentified, but Denis Rodríguez, a representative for the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office, said that a masked man posing as a delivery person showed up at the salon several hours before the shooting. The man was accompanied by another person and told a woman at the salon that they needed to speak with Marquez to deliver a "valuable gift," CBS News reported. Worst Fear Comes Turns True When the beauty influencer arrived and was told that two men were looking for her, Marquez told her followers, "Maybe they were going to kill me." "Were they going to come and take me away, or what? I'm worried," Marquez then said on the live stream. Soon after she shared her concern, the two men came back to the salon and asked about the influencer. "They're coming," she told her viewers, just before someone off-camera could be heard saying, "Hey, Vale?" She responded and was handed a stuffed toy and a Starbucks drink before the masked attacker suddenly opened fire, shooting her in the head and chest. Marquez fell to the ground as the livestream continued. Rodríguez said that investigators suspect the two men were contract killers. "The aggressor arrived asking if the victim (Márquez) was there. So it appears he didn't know her," Rodríguez said. "With that, you can deduce — without jumping to conclusions — that this was a person who was paid. It was obviously someone who came with a purpose." In another video, Marquez confessed to her followers that she had previously dated "gangsters," saying, "I've changed. I don't go out anymore, I don't drink anymore, I've stopped being around thugs, I'm a good girl." Paramedics pronounced Marquez dead at the scene, and police are actively searching for the gunman, who is still at large. While no suspect has yet been identified, the Mexican newspaper El Heraldo reported that a notorious cartel figure known as Doble R is a key focus in the ongoing investigation. Dangerous Liaisons Marquez had reportedly been in a romantic relationship with the man and grew jealous when her followers began sending her lavish gifts. Doble R is linked to a violent wing of the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, which has taken control of the area. He has a lengthy rap sheet and has been previously tied to the killings of Venezuelan model Daisy Ferrer Arenas and influencer Juan Luis Lagunas, who had allegedly offended cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera. Marquez's killing has sparked global outrage and drawn attention to the growing femicide crisis in Mexico, where women are often victims of murder and abuse. Gender-based violence has escalated dramatically across Latin America, with cartel members responsible for many of these horrifying acts. Just days before Marquez's death, Mexican mayoral candidate Yesenia Lara Gutierrez was shot dead while talking to locals on the street. Her assassination was also caught on video, showing chaos as bystanders fled in panic amid the sound of gunfire. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum released a statement on Thursday, confirming that authorities are actively working to identify Marquez's killer. Marquez gained a large fan following on social media through her beauty and lifestyle content, attracting more than 110,000 followers.
Edmonton Journal
16-05-2025
- Edmonton Journal
'Maybe they were going to kill me,' Valeria Marquez said minutes before being shot
Article content Some of the last words of Valeria Marquez, the Mexican influencer who was shot and killed Tuesday during a TikTok livestream in her beauty salon on the outskirts of Guadalajara, Mexico, were: 'Maybe they were going to kill me. Were they going to come and take me away, or what? I'm worried.' On Thursday, CBS News quoted Denis Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the murder. Rodríguez told the broadcaster that on Tuesday afternoon, hours before the shooting, a masked man posing as a delivery driver had arrived at the salon with another man on a motorcycle. The men said they had a 'very expensive' gift for Marquez that they had to deliver in person. When she later heard that people were looking for her, she expressed her fear in her livestream. Shortly after her remark about being worried, a man off-screen called out, 'Hey Vale!' Marquez answered 'Yes?' before muting the livestream. She was then handed a stuffed animal and a bag of Starbucks coffee before being shot in the head and chest and collapsing on camera, Rodríguez said, per CBS News.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
TikTok influencer in Mexico shot and killed on livestream
A Mexican social media influencer was shot dead while livestreaming at a beauty salon in a region renowned for cartel violence, with prosecutors saying she was the victim of a targeted attack by a hitman. Valeria Márquez, 23, a model and beauty influencer with more than 113,000 followers on TikTok, collapsed on camera after being shot in the head and chest by a masked gunman who fled the scene on a motorbike with an accomplice, prosecutors said. The brazen murder is being investigated as femicide, a gender-based crime under Mexican law, with Mexican President Claudia extending her condolences to Márquez's family and saying that Mexico's security cabinet is working to solve the murder with the prosecutor's office. After Cartels Killed My Husband, My Family Waited 40 Years For Justice. Thanks To Trump, It's Finally Here Hours before the grisly killing, Márquez had expressed concern that two men had arrived at the salon in the state of Jalisco near Guadalajara in western Mexico, claiming to have a "very expensive" gift that needed to be delivered to her in person but she wasn't there at the time, according to a witness. "Maybe they were going to kill me," Márquez said in her video minutes before she was killed while livestreaming from the salon. "Were they going to come and take me away, or what? I'm worried." Read On The Fox News App When the men returned, they asked if it was Márquez who was now in the salon. She was heard saying, "They're coming," before a voice in the background asked, "Hey, Vale?" "Yes," Marquez replied, just before muting the sound on the livestream. Moments later, she was shot to death. A person appeared to pick up her phone, with their face briefly showing on the livestream before the video ended. Denis Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office said investigators believe that the men were hired assassins. Wealthy Suburb Rocked By Suspected Cartel Murder-for-hire Shows Drug Lords' Reach Across Us: Expert "The aggressor arrived asking if the victim (Márquez) was there. So it appears he didn't know her," Rodríguez said. "With that, you can deduce — without jumping to conclusions — that this was a person who was paid. It was obviously someone who came with a purpose." Márquez was handed a stuffed animal and a bag of Starbucks coffee while she was on the livestream before the fatal shots rang out. The region is firmly controlled by one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and murders by hired guns on motorcycles, often known as "sicarios," have become a common occurrence. Rodríguez said that authorities were also investigating if the death was connected to the murder of a former congressman just hours earlier in the same area of Guadalajara, also carried out by two men on a motorcycle. The killing has sent shockwaves through a country that faces high levels of violence against women. Sheinbaum said on Thursday that an investigation is under way to first find those responsible and the motive behind this situation. "We are working to find those responsible and determine the motive behind this situation. Obviously, we express our solidarity with the family during this unfortunate situation. Our solidarity goes out to her family," she said. Friends and relatives held a funeral for the slain influencer on Thursday. Jalisco is ranked sixth out of Mexico's 32 states, including Mexico City, for homicides, with 909 recorded there since the beginning of Sheinbaum's term in October 2024, according to data consultancy TResearch. Fox News' Alexis McAdams, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this article source: TikTok influencer in Mexico shot and killed on livestream
