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The societal media influencer who was shot dormant during a livestream connected TikTok successful the Mexican authorities of Jalisco appeared to beryllium murdered by a deed antheral and expressed fearfulness earlier being killed, prosecutors said connected Thursday.
The grisly execution of 23-year-old Valeria Márquez connected Tuesday shocked the Latin American nation, igniting rumors astir the motive down her sidesplitting successful a portion that's been eclipsed by cartel unit successful caller years. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her medication is moving with section investigators to way down the slayer and extended her condolences to Márquez's family.
Denis Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office, provided caller details connected the sidesplitting connected Thursday, but said prosecutors were inactive investigating the decease of the exemplary and quality influencer with much than 113,000 followers connected the societal media app.
Mexican societal media influencer, Valeria Marquez, 23, who was brazenly changeable to decease during a TikTok livestream successful the quality salon wherever she worked successful the metropolis of Zapopan, looks connected successful this representation obtained from societal media.
@v___marquez/via Instagram/via REUTERS
Rodríguez said that aboriginal Tuesday afternoon, hours earlier the shooting, a masked antheral posing arsenic a transportation operator arrived astatine the quality salon connected the outskirts of Guadalajara, accompanied by different antheral connected a motorcycle. According to a pistillate successful the salon, the men said they had a "very expensive" acquisition for Márquez that they had to present successful person. When Márquez arrived and heard radical were looking for her she expressed fearfulness successful her livestream.
"Maybe they were going to termination me," she said successful the video minutes earlier she was killed. "Were they going to travel and instrumentality maine away, oregon what? I'm worried."
When the men returned, they asked if it was Márquez who was present successful the salon, thing that prompted prosecutors to judge that the men were hired assassins, Rodríguez said.
"The aggressor arrived asking if the unfortunate (Márquez) was there. So it appears helium didn't cognize her," Rodríguez said. "With that, you tin deduce - without jumping to conclusions - that this was a idiosyncratic who was paid. It was evidently idiosyncratic who came with a purpose."
Marquez was seen connected the livestream saying, "they're coming," earlier a dependable disconnected surface asked "Hey, Vale?" and Marquez replied "yes," the Reuters quality bureau reported.
Márquez was handed a stuffed carnal and a container of Starbucks java portion she was connected the livestream, and was changeable successful the caput and the chest, collapsing connected camera. TikTok has since taken down the influencer's account.
While it was inactive unclear who was down the killing, the portion is firmly controlled by 1 of the astir almighty cartels successful Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and Rodríguez noted murders by hired guns connected motorcycles, often known arsenic "sicarios," person go a communal occurrence.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has precocious been accused of utilizing fake occupation advertisements to lure caller members and of torturing and sidesplitting recruits who resist.
Rodríguez said that authorities were besides investigating if the decease was connected to the execution of a erstwhile congressman conscionable hours earlier successful the aforesaid country of Guadalajara, besides carried retired by 2 men connected a motorcycle. The state prosecutor's bureau said he was killed wrong a buying promenade successful Zapopan.
Femicide epidemic and unit against influencers
Márquez's execution has shocked Mexico -- wherever killings and kidnappings are a regular occurrence -- and brought into crisp absorption some its femicide epidemic and increasing unit against influencers.
It is not the archetypal execution of a societal media prima successful Mexico, which has a past of musicians, influencers and different celebrities getting caught up successful the transgression underworld.
In January, a tiny level was reported to person dropped pamphlets connected the northwestern cartel stronghold of Culiacan threatening astir 20 artists and YouTubers for alleged dealings with a warring faction of the Sinaloa cause cartel.
Several influencers successful Sinaloa person already been killed.
David Saucedo, an autarkic adept connected Mexican cartels, said radical who person fallen afoul of the gangs see informants, wealth launderers and those successful romanticist relationships with criminals.
"Influencers person go different cog successful the instrumentality of organized crime," helium said.
Zapopan politician Juan Jose Frangie said that his bureau has nary grounds of Marquez requesting assistance from authorities due to the fact that of threats against her.
A constabulary serviceman escorts the hearse transporting the assemblage of Valeria Marquez, 23, a Mexican societal media influencer who was fatally changeable during a TikTok livestream, arsenic it leaves the Saint Bernard of Clairvaux parish aft her ceremonial Mass, successful Guadalajara, Mexico, May 15, 2025.
Stringer / REUTERS
"It's unthinkable that (one minute) you're making a video and past you're murdered. A femicide is the worst thing," Frangie said.
According to the United Nations, 70 percent of women implicit the property of 15 person experienced immoderate signifier of battle astatine slightest erstwhile successful their lives successful Mexico. Since 2001, astatine slightest 50,000 women person been murdered successful Mexico, according to the U.N, but lone 2% of cases extremity successful a transgression condemnation and lone 1 successful 10 victims reports their aggressor.
Around 10 women oregon girls are murdered each time successful the Latin American nation, but fewer gully arsenic overmuch attraction arsenic Marquez's abrupt decease portion interacting with her fans.
On Marquez's Instagram account, wherever photos showed the young pistillate lounging connected a yacht, by a swimming excavation and successful a backstage plane, immoderate users paid tribute to the influencer.
Others speculated astir the motive, the sources of her evident wealthiness and imaginable relation of an ex-boyfriend.
"Justice for Valeria," aggregate posts demanded.
"So young and beautiful, she did not merit to person her beingness taken away," 1 idiosyncratic wrote.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
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