Valeria Marquez: Who was Mexican influencer killed live on TikTok?
1 day ago Share Save Daniel Pardo BBC News Mundo Reporting from Mexico Share Save
Reuters 23-year-old Valeria Márquez was killed while streaming 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 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
e 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.
Reuters Friends and family of Márquez gather after her funeral mass
A rising star
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 face when he arrived. Why didn 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 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 social media accounts for clues as to who the attackers might be. Mexican beauty influencer shot dead during TikTok livestream
Getty Images A few days before Márquez was killed, a candidate for mayor was also killed
Motive still unknown,
