Valeria Márquez, a 23-year-old Mexican beauty influencer, was fatally shot while live streaming on TikTok at her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco, prosecutors confirmed.
The fatal shooting took place on Tuesday evening and was captured live on camera, shocking her nearly 200,000 social media followers and sparking widespread outrage across Mexico.
According to the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office, a masked man entered Márquez’s salon and asked if she was Valeria. When she confirmed her identity, the assailant pulled out a firearm and shot her multiple times before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle with an accomplice.
Márquez was seated, holding a pink stuffed pig, during the livestream when she suddenly clutched her chest and stomach and collapsed. Another woman ended the broadcast shortly thereafter.
Investigators are treating the killing as a femicide, a gender-motivated murder, reflecting Mexico’s ongoing crisis of violence against women.
Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and Márquez’s social media activity as part of the investigation. No suspects have been publicly identified so far.
Márquez had gained prominence since 2021, winning the Miss Rostro beauty pageant and building a large following by sharing makeup tips, fashion content, and glimpses of her lifestyle.
Her salon was located in Zapopan, a wealthy but violence-plagued suburb of Guadalajara, where cartel-related crime and shootings have become increasingly common.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed condolences to Márquez’s family and pledged that her government is working with local authorities to find those responsible and uncover the motive behind the killing.
The brutal murder has intensified calls for action against femicide and organised crime in the region.
Mexico faces a severe femicide epidemic, with nearly 800 cases recorded in 2024 alone. Many victims have ties to their attackers, and the country struggles with widespread cartel violence.
