A brutal murder captured on a TikTok live stream in Mexico is being investigated as a possible femicide, the killing of women or girls for reasons of gender, said a state prosecutor on Friday (May 16).

Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer, had nearly 200,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, and was known for her videos about beauty and makeup.

Under police presence, a funeral Mass was held for Marquez in on Thursday (May 15), as family and friends said their tearful goodbyes to her casket, adorned with a bouquet of white roses.

On Tuesday (May 13), she clutched a stuffed toy and recorded herself live from the beauty salon where she worked in the state of Jalisco, when a male voice in the background asked "Hey, Vale?"

"Yes," Marquez replied, just before muting the sound on the livestream.

Moments later, she was shot dead. A person appeared to pick up her phone, with their face briefly showing on the livestream before the video ended.

Almost immediately, local media honed in on a man they identified as Marquez’s ex-boyfriend, who they said was a regional leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels. Local media shared alleged text messages between the couple that appeared to show the ex-boyfriend threatening Marquez because she ignored him.

The Jalisco state prosecutor, Salvador Gonzalez de los Santos, spoke at a news conference on Friday but declined to say whether Marquez’s ex-boyfriend was a suspect but added that everyone associated is being investigated.

"Anyone associated with this girl, whether friends, relatives, acquaintances, or boyfriends, is being investigated or interviewed", de los Santos said.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the identity of the ex-boyfriend or contact him for comment.

Marquez's family declined to speak with Reuters.

In 2023, Mexico recorded 852 femicides, according to the most recent report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. It has the fourth highest rate of femicides in the region on a per capita basis, with Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil even higher. Many advocates say the number is likely underestimated.

Jalisco is among Mexico's more dangerous states, with 910 homicides recorded since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum's term in October 2024, according to data consultancy TResearch.

(Production: Jose Luis Osorio, Rodolfo Pena Roja, Gloria Lopez)