Thousands of people were witnesses, on social networks, from the front line of the violence that shakes Mexico. In Tuesday (13), the famous Mexican influencer Valeria Márquez, 23, was shot dead while making a live broadcast on Tiktok.
The event took place at Blossom The Beauty Lounge beauty salon, owned by the victim in the city of Zapopan, the state of Jalisco (Midwest of Mexico). The locality is part of the Metropolitan area of Guadalajara, the second most inhabitants in the country.
The State Prosecutor’s Office announced that it is dealing with the case “under the protocol of femicide”, that is, she considers that the crime was motivated by the condition of the victim’s wife. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that there is an investigation ongoing. According to her, “we are working to capture those responsible and [determinar] the motivation that led to this situation. “
Márquez’s murder occurred less than 48 hours after Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, a mayor candidate of a locality in the Mexican state of Veracruz (Centro-East of the country), was shot down with three others during a campaign act. The event was also broadcast by the video cameras of the place.
Rising star
Márquez was a Mexican model who started to become known in 2021, after winning the Miss Face Beauty Contest, according to local press. Then she started creating content on social networks. Márquez shared makeup advice and personal care routines. She also talked about fashion and showed herself on the trips she made.
Your photographs inside private aircraft or on board yachts can be observed on your Instagram account, which had more than 223,000 followers at the time of your death. Márquez also had 100,000 followers at Tiktok.
The model and influencer Valeria Márquez became known after winning a beauty contest in 2021 –
The young woman also drove the beauty salon where she was murdered, in a shopping center located in the real neighborhood of Zapopan, according to local press.
Direct and live
During his transmission, Márquez reported that he was inside the establishment. She was expecting a delivery man who had been in place before and warned that she would return to give her a gift. “Today, I was doing some things, when Erika marked me and said, ‘Listen, honey, they will bring something to you and I don’t know what, but finally, they want to deliver to you,'” he heard in the recording.
“I was worried […] why [Érika, a amiga] Tell me that you didn’t see the face [do entregador] […]”, continues Márquez.” Why didn’t [o presente]? They were going to get up [sequestrar] Or what? “She holds a pink plush, pushes her eyes off the camera, immediately takes her hands to her chest and stomach and collapses in her chair.
Then another woman takes the cell phone and interrupts the transmission. Authorities say at least two motorcycle men went to the establishment. One of them asked the victim if she was Valeria. When she answered “yes”, he drew a gun and shot at least twice, then fleeing.
Investigators say they are reviewing security cameras recordings and tracking Valeria Márquez’s social networks in search of clues about who the aggressors could be.
Case versions
The crime occurred in Jalisco, which is the state of origin of the dreaded Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). This fact made versions arising by attributing the responsibility of the case to members of the criminal organization.
But the Mexican authorities have stated that, so far, there is no reason to suspect that the murder has been commissioned or executed by any of the cartel groups operating in the region.
The death of the influencer occurred days after another murder, a mayor candidate in Mexico –
“Faced with the versions that indicate allegations responsible for the femicide that occurred in Zapopan, we clarify that there is no direct indication against any person in the investigative process,” said the prosecutor of Jalisco in a public statement.
“All statements and evidence, including videos and publications on the networks, are being analyzed. The investigation continues under the protocol of femicide, with gender perspective, without revitimization and respecting the principles of legality, impartiality and respect for human rights,” the statement continues.
The prosecution’s stance comes after the Mexican press published messages in which Márquez was responsible for his ex-boyfriend if something happened to her.
Gender violence is a serious problem in Mexico. The country occupies the fourth place among the highest femicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, behind Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.
The latest data from the Latin America Economic Commission and the United Nations Caribbean (Cepal) indicate that Mexico recorded 1.3 deaths per 100,000 women in 2023, according to Reuters news agency.
Jalisco occupies the sixth place in homicides, among the 32 Mexican states (including Mexico City). There were 906 murders registered since the term of office of current President Claudia Sheinbaum, in October 2024, according to data consulting Tresearch.
On the same day of Valeria Márquez’s murder and just 2 km away, a former deputy was killed, identified as Luis Armando Cordoba Díaz, according to the Mexican newspaper Reform.
And less than 48 hours before Márquez’s murder, Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez was killed during an electoral caravan. She was a candidate for Texistepepec City Hall, in the state of Veracruz (Mexico Center), by the brunette government party.
As with the influencer, Lara Gutiérrez’s case was recorded by the cameras, as the political act was being broadcast live on Facebook.
‘The shadow of drug trafficking in Jalisco’
Analysis of Daniel Pardo, correspondent in Mexico of BBC News Mundo (the Spanish service of BBC).
The fact that authorities are investigating Márquez’s murder as femicide – a murder motivated by his condition as a woman – does not prevent him from occurring in the context of drug trafficking.
Zapopan is the richest region of Guadalajara. This is where more than half of real estate and commercial development happens, according to the United States Department of Justice, thanks to the money laundering promoted by drug traffickers.
The presence of private security and the good condition of its streets and trades give the impression that Zapopan is a safe zone. But, in fact, it is one of the most violent municipalities in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Region.
In fact, in its luxurious and hypervigned shopping centers, shootings and attacks occur quite often.
Jalisco is one of the Mexican states most affected by drug trafficking. Here, 50 km from Zapopan, in March, a CJNG training center was found in March. It was also here that, since 2018, 15 thousand people have disappeared.
90% of state homicides end in impunity. This is one of the evidence that justice is also infiltrated by drug trafficking.
If almost everything that happens in Jalisco, from shopping centers to high -level politics, is inevitably marked by drug trafficking, the femicide of a model and influencer in the light of day, during a live broadcast is no exception. After all, at least, your leader feels that he can count on local impunity.
The text was originally published here.
Source: Folha
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
