Colombian influencer Maria Jose Estupinan, 22, was killed on May 15, according to news reports. Photo: Maria Jose Estupinan/Facebook
Days after the chilling murder of a Mexican influencer, another South American social media star was also shot to death.
Colombian influencer Maria Jose Estupinan, 22, was killed on May 15, according to news reports.
Magda Victoria Acosta, president of the National Gender Commission of the Colombian Judiciary, said at a news conference that Estupinan was shot in her home.
Acosta added that the suspect was disguised as a deliveryman.
“(Estupinan) was a young, enterprising woman with a whole life ahead of her, but those dreams are cut short, like the dreams of many women in this country,” Acosta said.
Last week, Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez was shot dead during a livestream on TikTok. The 23-year-old was killed on May 13 in the beauty salon where she worked in the city of Zapopan, Mexico, by a man who entered and shot her.
Her death is being investigated according to protocols for femicide - the killing of women or girls for reasons of gender.
While Acosta did not say whether Estupinan’s death was a suspected femicide, the gruesome murders of Marquez and Estupinan highlight the high rates of violence against women in Latin America.
