A 23-year-old beauty influencer was shot and killed May 13 during a livestream on TikTok while working at her beauty salon in the city of Zapopan, according to the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office.
According to the official statement, police responded to an emergency call at about 6:30 p.m. and found Marquez dead at the scene. Paramedics confirmed she no longer had vital signs.
The initial investigation indicates that Marquez was inside her establishment when a man entered and fired at her, according to the press release.
The attack was captured in part during a TikTok livestream. Seconds before the shooting, Marquez was seen sitting at a table, holding a stuffed toy. She was heard saying, “They’re coming,” before a voice in the background asked, “Hey, Vale?” Marquez replied, “Yes,” and then muted the livestream audio.
Moments later, she was shot, and a person appeared to pick up her phone, with their face briefly visible before the video ended, according to eyewitness accounts.
Earlier in the livestream, Marquez had said she was concerned about someone who had come to the salon with an “expensive gift” while she was away. She told viewers she did not plan to wait for the person to return.
National Crisis
The killing comes amid a national crisis of gender-based violence in Mexico. Last year, there were 847 reported cases of femicide nationwide, with 162 cases in the first three months of this year, according to Mexican government figures. The 2024 total was down from a peak of 1,021 in 2021, but almost double the total from 2015.Mexico is tied with Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia for the fourth-highest rates of femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 1.3 such deaths for every 100,000 women in 2023, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Calls for Reform
Amnesty International has repeatedly criticized Mexican authorities for “inaction and negligence” in investigating femicides, citing lost evidence, incomplete inquiries, and a lack of gender perspective in criminal proceedings.“State-level authorities must prevent, investigate and punish femicides with due diligence,” said Edith Olivares Ferreto, executive director of Amnesty International Mexico.
She added, “Each femicide has an appalling impact on the victims’ families, who, in their search for access to the truth, justice, and reparation for the harm done, also suffer re-victimization by the authorities.”
The organization’s 2021 report documented systemic failings in investigations, including improper crime scene examination, insecure evidence storage, and insufficient forensic work, which increase the risk of impunity for perpetrators.
As the investigation into Marquez’s killing continues, authorities urge the public to await official updates.
