Mexican Beauty Influencer Shot Dead During TikTok ...

Mexican Beauty Influencer Shot Dead During TikTok Live

Zim Now Writer

A 23-year-old Mexican social media influencer, Valeria Márquez, was tragically shot to death during a TikTok live stream, sending shockwaves through a country grappling with high levels of gender-based violence. The 23-year-old, known for her beauty and makeup videos, was killed on Tuesday at the beauty salon where she worked in Zapopan, Jalisco.

The incident is being investigated as a femicide, with authorities linking her death to gender-based violence.

In the moments before her death, Márquez was live-streaming on TikTok. She was heard saying, “They’re coming,” followed by a voice asking, “Hey, Vale?” She responded, “Yes,” before muting the sound on the stream. Moments later, she was shot, and the live stream abruptly ended after someone picked up her phone, briefly showing their face.

Márquez had nearly 200,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok. During the stream, she mentioned someone had come to the salon earlier to deliver an “expensive gift” for her, but she seemed concerned and decided not to wait for the person’s return.

Mexico is among the countries with the highest rates of femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico had a femicide rate of 1.3 deaths per 100,000 women in 2023, placing it alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia in this grim ranking.