A gunman fatally shot 23-year-old Mexican influencer Valeria Márquez on May 13, 2025, during a TikTok livestream at her Blossom the Beauty Lounge salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.
The Jalisco State Attorney General’s Office is investigating the killing as femicide. This gender-based crime has sparked national outrage and renewed calls for justice amid Mexico’s ongoing femicide crisis.
At around 6:30 p.m., a man entered Márquez’s salon, confirmed her identity by asking, “Are you Valeria?” and then shot her in the chest and head before fleeing on a motorcycle, according to the Jalisco prosecutor. Moments before the attack, Márquez, livestreaming to nearly 200,000 TikTok followers, expressed unease, saying, “They’re coming,” after mentioning a suspicious “expensive gift” delivery earlier in the day.
Mexican beauty influencer smiling moments before she's shot DEAD
23yo Valeria Márquez's death livestreamed, investigated as FEMICIDE
Jalisco state is one of Mexico’s most violent pic.twitter.com/7KRXI1tem1
— RT (@RT_com) May 14, 2025Authorities have not arrested any suspects and continue to review surveillance footage and Márquez’s social media accounts for leads. Originally from Guadalajara, Márquez built a significant following on TikTok and Instagram, sharing beauty and lifestyle content, and gained recognition as Miss Rostro 2021. Her salon, frequently featured in her streams, was a hub for her entrepreneurial pursuits. Tributes from fellow influencers have honoured her as a “brave entrepreneur,” while unverified claims about prior threats from an ex-partner remain under investigation.
Márquez’s murder, which follows the recent killing of mayoral candidate Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, highlights the deepening femicide crisis in Mexico, where 70% of women over 15 have experienced violence, according to a 2022 survey.
President Claudia Sheinbaum’s “zero impunity” policy faces mounting scrutiny, as only 67% of femicide cases reach verdicts, underscoring persistent challenges in achieving justice for victims.
