Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old Mexican social media influencer, was shot dead as she was live streaming on TikTok. Jalisco state prosecutor’s office revealed that the unprecedented tragedy claimed the young woman’s life after a man walked into a beauty salon in the suburb of Zapopan “and apparently fired a gun at her.” He entered the place posing as a deliveryman.
The harrowing incident unfolded on Tuesday — the same day the social media influencer talked about how someone had visited her salon in her absence to deliver an expensive gift.
Who killed Valeria Marquez?
Moments before she was shot dead, Marquez was seen holding a stuffed animal at her place of work. Additionally, Valeria was heard talking to someone offscreen. “They’re coming,” she said anxiously. When someone else called her, “Hey Vale?” she replied, “Yes.” Thereafter, she muted the livestream’s audio.
Shortly after the brazen shooting, an individual picked up her phone and cut off the footage. Although a suspect’s name wasn’t revealed initially, Wednesday’s local media reports pointed the finger at a man named Ricardo Ruiz Velazco, aka ‘El Doble RR,’ ‘RR,’ or ‘El Tripa.’ He is believed to be leader of the armed group Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG), which is reportedly significantly active in the area Valeria was killed.
Why was the Mexican influencer shot dead?
A confirmed motive has yet to be announced. As of now, her killing is being investigated as a consequence of gender-based violence. Even without any official word on the same, it is a known fact that femicide is especially high in Mexico.
UN stats indicate that 10 women or girls are killed every day by their partners or family members. TResearch also stated that Mexican state Jalisco ranked sixth on the homicides rate chart, as 906 cases have been registered since October 2024, when President Claudia Sheinbaum took charge.
Though admitting “a femicide is the worst thing,” Mayor of Zapopan Juan José Frangie said there were no official records of Valeria Marquez reporting any threats against her, as per AFP.
More about Valeria Marquez
The Mexican influencer was pronounced dead at the scene after she was reportedly shot once in the chest and twice in the head. The 23-year-old avidly shared beauty and makeup content on social media. She had a follower-count of nearly 200,000 on Instagram and TikTok each before her passing. Marquez worked at her beauty salon, Blossom the Beauty Lounge, in Jalisco. At the time of writing, her following on Instagram had surpassed 218K.
Heartwarming wishes continue to pour out in her account’s comments section.