Influencer Valeria Marquez was livestreaming when fatally shot in Zapopan, Mexico; killing investigated as femicide amid high regional violence.

A social media influencer was shot to death while livestreaming on TikTok at her beauty salon in central Mexico, according to state authorities.

Valeria Marquez, 23, was seen on the live broadcast looking up at someone off-camera and responding to a voice in the background that called out, "Hey, Vale?" She replied, "Yes," before muting the sound. Within seconds, she appeared to be shot in the abdomen and head, collapsing during the livestream.

The violent killing of the young influencer in the city of Zapopan has shocked both Mexico and the global online community. Marquez had garnered a following of over 200,000 people on TikTok.

"The victim is someone with an active presence and influence on social media," the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement. "A man entered the premises and apparently fired a gun at her," the statement added.

Local media sources reported that the shooter may have posed as someone bringing a gift to her.

Authorities have yet to determine the motive for the crime.

The beauty salon is located in Zapopan, a city adjacent to Guadalajara in the central state of Jalisco — an area notorious for criminal activity and the presence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organizations.

However, Roberto Alarcon, the state’s security coordinator, told reporters that there is no evidence at this time linking the murder to any criminal group.

The killing is currently being investigated as a femicide — the killing of a woman due to gender-related reasons.

Zapopan Mayor Juan Jose Frangie stated that his office had no record of Marquez reaching out to authorities for protection or reporting any threats from criminal organizations. “It’s incredible that you’re making a video and then you’re murdered. A femicide is the worst thing,” Frangie said.

According to the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico ranks alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia as having the fourth highest rate of femicide in the region. The data shows that in 2023, 1.3 women per 100,000 were killed due to gender-related violence.

In a separate but similarly shocking incident, former congressman Luis Armando Cordova Diaz was also shot dead in a cafe in the same area just hours after Marquez’s death.