Rumors began to spin when a 23-year-old Mexican influencer was shot dead during a live broadcast on Tiktok. Is this a cartel popular? Or another tragic example of violence against women?

Valeria Marquez was shot Tuesday in a victim-owned beauty salon in Zapopan, a small town in Jalisco, a middle-eastern town.

The state attorney’s office said it is investigating the crime as a woman, meaning it believes the crime is the motive for the victim to be a woman.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said an investigation is underway: “We are trying to capture those responsible and find out why this is happening.”

However, the fact that the crime occurred in the state of Jalisco is a worrying fact that the cartel jalisco nueva Generación (CJNG) appears, leading some speculation that the cartel may be involved in some way.

According to Mexican media reports, Ms. Max is a Mexican model and began naming herself in 2021 after winning the Miss Rostro (Ms.) beauty pageant.

Shortly thereafter, she began creating content on social media. She shares makeup tips and personal care procedures, talks about fashion and shows off her trip.

Her photos of her private jets and yachts can be seen on her Instagram account, which had more than 223,000 followers at the time of her death.

Ms. Marquez has another 100,000 followers on Tiktok.

Although it is not clear what happened, during her last live stream, Ms. Max said she was waiting for a courier who knew to give gifts.

She added that she was a little worried because her friend couldn't see the courier's face when she arrived.

"Why didn't he put it down (the gift)? They were going to pick me up (kidnapping me) or something?" she thought loudly at her followers.

Ms. Max looked away from the camera while holding the pink animal, immediately grabbed her chest and abdomen and poured it into the chair.

Then another woman ended the live broadcast with the phone.

According to state prosecutors, police arrived at the scene at 18:30 local time (12:30 GMT) and confirmed Ms. Max's death.

Authorities said at least two motorcycle riders arrived at the salon, one of whom asked if the victim was Valeria. When she replied "yes", he pulled out his gun, fired at least twice, and fled.

Investigators said they were checking CCTV footage and tracking Ms. Max’s social media account to find clues about who the attacker might be.

But the location of the Salon in the wealthy Zapopan area of ​​Guadalajara raises questions about the motives of the crime. While the presence of private security and the neatness of the streets leave the impression that Zapopan is a safe field, it is actually one of the most violent municipalities in Jalisco. In fact, shootings often occur in luxury shopping malls in the area.

More than half of the area's real estate and business developments are linked to money laundering of drug trafficking funds, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Jalisco ranked sixth in the homicides among Mexico’s 32 states, including Mexico City, with 906 murders registered since President Claudia Sheinbaum’s tenure in October 2024, according to data consulting firm Tresearch.

It is also one of the most affected Mexican states by cartels. Here, 50 km from Zapopan, a cartel training center was discovered in March, and 15,000 people have disappeared since 2018.

According to newspaper reports reform.

According to Jalisco, up to 90% of crimes have never been reported or investigated. The state attorney’s office has also long been accused of having connections with the cartel, which is denied.

The prosecutor's office said so far there was no reason to suspect that Ms. Max's murder was ordered or carried out by any organized crime group in the area.

Instead, the office suggested that the murderer might be motivated to kill her because of her gender.

Mexican media have previously published news in which Ms. Max accused her ex-partner among her ex-partners.

The mayor of Zapopan Juan José Frangie said his office had no record of Ms. Marquez seeking help from the authorities due to the threat to her, adding that "women are the worst things".

"In response to claims alleged by the Sapopan women offenders, we clarify that no individual in the investigation file has been directly charged," the Attorney Jalisco said in a statement.

“All statements and clues, including videos and social media posts, are analysed. The investigation was conducted under a women’s agreement, with a gender perspective, has not been revisited, and is in line with the principles of legitimacy, impartiality, impartiality and respect for human rights,” it added.

Gender-based violence is a serious problem in Mexico, a country ranked fourth in Latin America and the Caribbean, with women’s speed following Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.

According to Reuters, Mexico died 1.3 deaths per 100,000 women in 2023, according to the latest data from the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Less than 48 hours before Ms. Max was murdered, Morena mayoral candidate (ruling party) was killed while Texas Pec Mayor Veracruz was in a political convoy. Like the case of influencers, the politician’s murder was recorded by cameras because the event was broadcast live on Facebook.