Wafric News – May 16, 2025

Mexico City — A Mexican beauty influencer was fatally shot during a live TikTok broadcast earlier this week, in what authorities now suspect was a targeted hit by a contract killer.

The victim, 23-year-old Valeria Márquez, was livestreaming from her beauty salon in the outskirts of Guadalajara, Jalisco, when she was shot multiple times by a masked assailant. The tragic killing has sent shockwaves through Mexico and across social media platforms, drawing fresh attention to the country’s rising cartel-linked violence.

According to Denis Rodríguez, spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office, Márquez appeared visibly distressed in the minutes leading up to her death, telling her followers that she feared something was wrong after learning two men had arrived earlier asking for her.

"Maybe they were going to kill me," Márquez is heard saying in the now-deleted livestream. "Were they going to come and take me away, or what? I'm worried."

Investigators revealed that the men—one masked and posing as a delivery driver, the other on a motorcycle—showed up hours before the attack claiming to have a "very expensive" gift for the influencer. When they returned, one of the men directly asked if Márquez was present, suggesting the killers may not have known her personally.

“This wasn’t a crime of passion or personal dispute,” Rodríguez said. “He asked for her by name — that’s a strong indication this was a hired job.”

During the livestream, Márquez was handed a stuffed toy and a Starbucks coffee bag by the man posing as the delivery person. Moments later, she was shot in the head and chest. The chilling footage showed her collapse on camera before TikTok removed her account.

The attack bears the hallmarks of cartel-style executions often carried out by motorcycle-riding gunmen, known locally as sicarios. While officials have not confirmed cartel involvement, the Jalisco region is known to be a stronghold of the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the country’s most violent criminal organizations.

Prosecutors are also probing whether Márquez’s killing could be connected to the assassination of a former congressman that occurred just hours earlier under similar circumstances, also involving motorcycle-riding shooters.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed condolences to Márquez’s family and affirmed that federal authorities are working with local law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.

As the investigation continues, the influencer’s death highlights the growing risks faced by public figures and ordinary citizens alike in areas plagued by organized crime.


By Wafric News Desk.