TikTok Star Valeria Marquez Shot Dead on Livestream in Mexico

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Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer from Zapopan, Mexico, was shot and killed during a livestream at her beauty salon. Her death is being investigated as a possible femicide, highlighting ongoing concerns about violence against women in the country.

Livestream Turns Tragic

Marquez, known for her beauty content and followed by over 100,000 people on Instagram, was interacting with her TikTok audience during a live broadcast when someone knocked on the salon door. She received a package and showed it to the camera — a small stuffed piglet — smiling and laughing with viewers. Moments later, she was fatally shot while still on camera.

The livestream continued even after she was motionless, slumped over her desk with blood pooling around her. It only ended when someone else picked up the phone, briefly revealing their face to the audience.

Violence Against Women in Mexico

Authorities in the state of Jalisco have opened an investigation and are treating the case as a suspected femicide — a gender-based killing of a woman. Femicide is a significant issue in Mexico. In 2020, about 25% of all murders of women were classified as femicides. These cases have occurred in every one of Mexico's 32 states.

According to official data, there were 847 reported femicides in Mexico in 2023, with 162 cases already recorded in the first quarter of 2024. Human rights groups have long criticized the country's response to violence, noting that only a small percentage of cases lead to convictions.

Juanita Goebertus, Americas Director for Human Rights Watch, said around 4,000 women were murdered in Mexico in 2022 — about 12% of the country's total homicides that year. However, just 67% of cases led to a verdict, showing the urgent need for stronger investigations and better protection for victims and witnesses.

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