MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A young Mexican social media influencer, known for her videos about beauty and makeup, was brazenly shot to death during a TikTok livestream, in an incident that sent shockwaves through a country that faces high levels of gender-based violence.
The death of Valeria Marquez, 23, is being investigated according to protocols for femicide - the killing of women or girls for reasons of gender - the Jalisco state prosecutor said in a statement released on Tuesday evening.
Femicide can involve degrading violence, sexual abuse, a relationship with the murderer, or the victim's body being exposed in a public space, according to Mexican authorities.
Marquez was killed on Tuesday in the beauty salon where she worked in the city of Zapopan by a man who entered and shot her, the statement said. The prosecutor's office did not name a suspect.
Seconds before the incident, Marquez was seen on her TikTok livestream seated at a table clutching a stuffed toy. She was heard saying, "they're coming," before a voice in the background asked "Hey, Vale?"
"Yes," Marquez replied, just before muting the sound on the livestream.
Moments later, she was shot to death. A person appeared to pick up her phone, with their face briefly showing on the livestream before the video ended.
Marquez, who had nearly 200,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, had said earlier on the livestream that someone came to the salon when she was not there with an "expensive gift" to deliver to her. Marquez, who appeared concerned, said she was not planning to wait for the person to come back.
Mexico is tied with Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia as the countries with the fourth-highest rates of femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the latest data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, at 1.3 such deaths for every 100,000 women in 2023.
Jalisco is ranked sixth out of Mexico's 32 states, including Mexico City, for homicides, with 906 recorded there since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum's term in October 2024, according to data consultancy TResearch.
(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison and Raul Cortes; Editing by Rod Nickel)
