Mayoral Candidate Gunned Down During Campaign in Veracruz, Mexico

Valeria Márquez, a 23-year-old Mexican beauty influencer, was fatally shot during a TikTok live stream on May 14, in what authorities are investigating as a case of femicide, according to the Jalisco state prosecutor. The incident occurred at Márquez's beauty salon in Zapopan, where she was seen moments before her death expressing concern about an unnamed person delivering an "expensive gift."
The disturbing live stream captured Márquez sitting with a stuffed toy, saying, “They’re coming,” before she muted the audio just prior to the shooting. The prosecutor's statement did not name any suspects in the case.
Márquez, who boasted nearly 200,000 combined followers on social media, had previously expressed unease regarding unexpected visitors. As Mexico grapples with alarming rates of gender-based violence, the killing highlights the ongoing crisis of femicide in the country. Data from the United Nations indicates that Mexico has one of the highest rates of femicide in Latin America, with 1.3 such deaths per 100,000 women reported in 2023.