A social media influencer from Mexico was fatally shot while broadcasting live from a beauty salon situated in a region notorious for cartel-related violence. Prosecutors believe a hitman specifically targeted her.

Valeria Márquez, 23, a model and beauty influencer boasting over 113,000 TikTok followers, was shot in the head and chest and died on camera. Prosecutors stated that a masked gunman and an accomplice fled the scene on a motorbike.

The crime is being investigated as a femicide, which is considered a gender-based crime under Mexican law. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum conveyed her condolences to Márquez’s family, stating that Mexico’s security cabinet is collaborating with the prosecutor’s office to solve the murder.

According to a witness, Márquez had expressed apprehension hours before the fatal shooting about two men who had arrived at the salon in Jalisco, near Guadalajara, claiming to have a “very expensive” gift for her, but she was not present at the time.

“Maybe they were going to kill me,” Márquez said in her video shortly before her death while livestreaming from the salon. “Were they going to come and take me away, or what? I’m worried.”

Upon returning, the men inquired if Márquez was at the salon.

She was heard saying, “They’re coming,” before a voice in the background asked, “Hey, Vale?”

“Yes,” Marquez responded, immediately before muting the livestream’s audio.

She was fatally shot moments later. The livestream ended after someone picked up her phone, briefly showing their face on camera.

Denis Rodríguez, a spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office, stated that investigators suspect the men were hired assassins.

“The aggressor arrived asking if the victim (Márquez) was there. So it appears he didn’t know her,” Rodríguez explained. “From that, you can deduce — without jumping to conclusions — that this was a person who was paid. It was obviously someone who came with a purpose.”

Prior to the shooting, Márquez received a stuffed animal and a bag of Starbucks coffee while on the livestream.

The area is under the firm control of one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels and murders by hired gunmen on motorcycles, often called “sicarios,” are common.

Rodríguez added that authorities are also investigating a possible connection between the murder and the killing of a former congressman earlier that day in the same area of Guadalajara, also committed by two men on a motorcycle.

The killing has reverberated throughout a nation struggling with significant violence against women.

Sheinbaum said on Thursday that an investigation is underway to find those responsible and the reason behind the killing.

“We are working to find those responsible and determine the motive behind this situation. Obviously, we express our solidarity with the family during this unfortunate situation. Our solidarity goes out to her family,” she said.

Friends and family held a funeral for the slain influencer on Thursday.

Jalisco ranks sixth among Mexico’s 32 states, including Mexico City, in homicides, with 909 recorded since Sheinbaum’s term began in October 2024, according to data consultancy TResearch.

‘ Alexis McAdams, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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