Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was shot and killed on camera during a TikTok live stream.
Marquez, 23, was sitting inside a beauty salon in Zapopan when live stream footage caught the shocking incident. The influencer, who was wearing the same bodysuit she wore in her latest Instagram photo, was seen holding a stuffed pig in her lap in the moments before her death.
She was heard saying in Spanish, “They’re coming,” before a voice offscreen greeted her with, “Hey, Vale?” Marquez then answered “yes” and muted the sound on the stream. Seconds later, she appeared to be shot by a firearm.
Her Instagram following ballooned from less than 100,000 to nearly 260,000 in the wake of the news as a mix of support and shock poured into the comments of her recent posts.
City police officers and paramedics confirmed Marquez’s death upon arriving at the scene, according to the Jalisco state attorney general’s office. The office stated on Tuesday that the slaying is being investigated for potential femicide, which is defined by the UN as “an intentional killing with a gender-related motivation.”
Research by the data gathering platform Statista ranked Mexico as the second-highest nation for femicides in Latin America in 2023. The country recorded nearly 800 cases in 2024, a decrease from previous years. Victims tended to have preexisting familial or communal relationships with their aggressors, according to Statista.
Initial investigations for Marquez’s killing found that a man had entered the premises and apparently fired a weapon at her. Investigators are continuing to gather evidence. According to Tuesday’s statement, Marquez’s body was set to be transferred to the facilities at the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences, where it would await official identification and an autopsy.
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