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Tragic news out of Mexico today, as influencer Valeria Marquez has been killed at the age of 23.
Marquez was streaming live to her 100,000 followers at the time of her brutal murder.
According to early reports, Marquez — who gained popularity as a beauty influencer — was broadcasting from her salon in Zapopan, Mexico when she received an unexpected knock at her door.
Marquez’s murder part of growing femicide problem in Mexico
The unidentified visitor delivered a small package, which Marquez proceeded to open on camera, prompting her to exclaim, “He’s a little piglet!” in Spanish.
Minutes later, Marquez was slumped over dead, blood pooling in front of her as the livestream macabrely continued.
The stream ended only when someone picked up her phone from off camera.
At this point, very little is known about Marquez’s passing.
According to a report from CNN, police are investigating Marquez’s death as a suspected femicide, which the outlet defines as “the killing of a woman or girl for gender-based reasons.”
In a statement issued today, a spokesperson for the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office revealed that the man accused of committing the crime showed up at the site of the murder before Márquez had arrived and asked for her by name.
He returned later that day and murdered her, the spokesperson said.
The name of the suspect has not been revealed, but investigators say he does not appear to have ties to the cartels that are responsible for so many of Mexico’s murders.
The ongoing issue of violence against women
Bizarrely, a Mexican mayoral candidate was shot during her own livestream just last week.
Her death is also being treated as a possible femicide.
According to statistics from the Mexican government, one quarter of female killings in Mexico were investigated as femicides in 2020, with cases reported in each one of Mexico’s 32 states.
In 2023, there were 847 reported cases of femicide nationwide. There have been 162 in the first three months of this year.
The problem of extreme violence motivated by misogyny is growing globally, and it just cost the world a beloved young talent.
Our thoughts go out to Valeria’s loved ones during this enormously difficult time.
