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A young Mexican influencer, known for her beauty and makeup videos, was tragically shot and killed during a TikTok live stream, according to Reuters.
The 23-year-old Valeria Marquez’s death is being treated as a femicide investigation, following the protocols for the murder of women and girls based on gender, as stated by the Jalisco state prosecutor in a press release on Tuesday evening.
Femicide can encompass various forms of severe violence, including sexual assault, an existing relationship with the perpetrator, or the victim’s body being displayed in public, according to officials in Mexico.
Marquez was shot on Tuesday inside the beauty salon where she was employed in Zapopan by a man who entered and fired at her. The prosecutor’s office has yet to identify a suspect.
Just moments before the incident, Marquez was seen on her TikTok livestream sitting at a table holding a stuffed animal. She was heard saying, “they’re coming,” followed by a voice in the background calling out “Hey, Vale?”
She replied, “Yes,” just before muting her livestream. Shortly after, she was shot dead. A person then appeared to grab her phone, briefly revealing their face on the livestream before it ended.
Marquez, who amassed nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, had previously mentioned on the livestream that someone had come to the salon in her absence to deliver an “expensive gift.” Seemingly uneasy, she stated she would not wait for the individual to return.
According to the latest figures from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico ranks alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia for the fourth-highest femicide rates in the region, with 1.3 such deaths per 100,000 women in 2023.
Jalisco is the sixth-highest state for homicides out of Mexico’s 32 states, including Mexico City, with 906 recorded since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, according to TResearch data.
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