The Japan Times - Influencer's murder shows dark side of Mexican social media fame

The 23-year-old's livestreamed murder has shocked Mexico -- where killings and kidnappings are a daily occurrence -- and brought into sharp focus both its femicide epidemic and growing violence against influencers.

Around 10 women or girls are murdered every day in the Latin American nation, but few draw as much attention as Marquez's sudden death while interacting with her fans.

Videos shared online show her last moments Tuesday in the beauty salon she owned in Zapopan, a suburb of the western city of Guadalajara in Jalisco state frequently shaken by criminal violence.

"Are you Valeria?" a man is heard asking off camera in a friendly tone.

"Yes," the influencer replies, looking anxious.

Seconds later, Marquez slumps in her chair with gunshot wounds, watched by some of her tens of thousands of followers on TikTok.

The hitman is believed to have escaped on a motorcycle.

Earlier, Marquez had appeared nervous after a delivery man tried to bring a gift while she was out.

"Were they going to kidnap me or what?" she said.

"Maybe they were going to kill me."

While the motive was still under investigation, Jalisco is a hotbed of drug-related violence.

The region is home to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a major drug trafficking group designated a terrorist organization by US President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, agents from the local prosecutor's office were seen interviewing potential witnesses near the scene of the crime, which was sealed off, an AFP reporter said.

"We didn't hear anything at all," an employee of a nearby business said.

- Several influencers killed -

It is not the first murder of a social media star in Mexico, which has a history of musicians, influencers and other celebrities getting caught up in the criminal underworld.

In January, a small plane was reported to have dropped pamphlets on the northwestern cartel stronghold of Culiacan threatening around 20 artists and YouTubers for alleged dealings with a warring faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Several influencers in Sinaloa have already been killed.

David Saucedo, an independent expert on Mexican cartels, said people who have fallen afoul of the gangs include informants, money launderers and those in romantic relationships with criminals.

"Influencers have become another cog in the machine of organized crime," he said.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her security cabinet was investigating Marquez's murder along with the public prosecutor's office.

"Obviously, our solidarity goes out to her family in this deplorable situation," she said at her morning news conference.

State security coordinator Roberto Alarcon told reporters on Wednesday that investigators had found no evidence that a criminal group was behind the shooting.

Zapopan mayor Juan Jose Frangie said that his office has no record of Marquez requesting help from authorities because of threats against her.

"It's incredible that (one minute) you're making a video and then you're murdered. A femicide is the worst thing," Frangie said.

According to the United Nations, 70 percent of women over the age of 15 have experienced some form of assault at least once in their lives in Mexico.

On Marquez's Instagram account, where photos showed the young woman lounging on a yacht, by a swimming pool and in a private plane, some users paid tribute to the influencer.

Others speculated about the motive, the sources of her apparent wealth and possible role of an ex-boyfriend.

"Justice for Valeria," multiple posts demanded.

"So young and beautiful, she did not deserve to have her life taken away," one user wrote.

K.Abe--JT