Key Points:
- Valeria Marquez, 23, was shot dead while livestreaming to her 113k TikTok followers.
- Her murder is the 8th femicide this month in Jalisco, Mexico.
- Mexico averages 10 femicides a day, one of the highest rates in Latin America.
- Just days earlier, a mayoral candidate was killed during her livestream.
- Valeria’s final video showed eerie clues: “They might’ve been about to kill me.”
A Livestream Turned Nightmare
Imagine scrolling TikTok and suddenly watching an influencer get murdered live. That’s exactly what happened to Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty salon owner in Mexico. On Tuesday, she was livestreaming from her shop, laughing and holding a pink stuffed pig, when a man’s voice asked, “Are you Valeria?” She said “Yes”, and seconds later, gunshots rang out.
Valeria collapsed, grabbing her chest. The video cut off, but not before showing her dying on camera. The killer escaped on a motorbike. Her TikTok account? Deleted within hours.
Why Did This Happen?
Valeria’s video had creepy hints before the shooting. She told viewers a friend warned her about a mysterious “expensive delivery” to her salon. “Who’s gonna give me something?” she joked, then suddenly said, “Dude, they might’ve been about to kill me.”
Was she being stalked? Threatened? Police don’t know yet. But they’re calling it a femicide a hate crime against women just for being women.
Who Was Valeria?
Valeria was famous for her bubbly beauty tutorials. She won a local pageant (Miss Rostro) in 2021 and opened her salon, Blossom The Beauty Lounge, this year. Followers loved her makeup tips and personal stories. Now, her fans are flooding social media with pink hearts (her favorite color) and crying emojis.
Mexico’s Femicide Crisis: By the Numbers
- 🇲🇽 10 women/girls killed daily in Mexico.
- Jalisco (Valeria’s state) ranks 6th in murders nationwide.
- Only 7% of femicides lead to convictions.
Why so many deaths? Experts blame machismo culture (toxic masculinity), weak laws, and police who ignore women’s cries for help. Even politicians aren’t safe: days before Valeria’s death, a woman running for mayor in Veracruz was shot dead—also during a livestream.
Could This Happen to Anyone?
Valeria wasn’t “just” an influencer. She was a young woman living her dream until someone decided her life didn’t matter. Her story shows how dangerous it is to be a woman in Mexico, where threats are brushed off until it’s too late.
Zapopan’s mayor admitted Valeria never reported threats. But would it have mattered? Many Mexicans doubt it. Protests are erupting with signs like “¡Ni una más!” (“Not one more woman!”).
What Can Be Done?
Students and activists are demanding:
- Better protection: Safe spaces, hotlines, and apps for women in danger.
- Education: Teaching respect for women in schools.
- Justice: Punishing killers instead of letting them walk free.
Valeria’s death went viral, but thousands of Mexican women die in silence every year. Her tragedy is a wake-up call: gender violence isn’t just a “women’s issue” it’s everyone’s fight.
