A Mexican TikTok influencer has been killed moments after receiving a mysterious phone call.
Karla Pardini, 21, was shot dead outside her home near Culiacán in Mexico's Sinala state last week on Tuesday, September 20.
According to a report by The New York Post, the social media star received a late-night call around 10:30PM, in which she was told to come outside.
Karla's mother explained how her daughter never returned home, and was found dead shortly at an intersection between Catedrático and Ignacio López Rayón streets.
Sinaloa State Attorney General's Office reported that she was ambushed by an attacker, who shot her multiple times. Prosecutor Sara Bruna Quiñonez told outlets that the murder has been registered as femicide because it occurred while Karla was in an exposed and helpless state.
Quiñonez added that the investigation is being carried out in secret so that possible suspects are not alerted. There have not yet been any arrests made, though several witnesses reportedly told authorities that they had seen armed individuals roaming the area in the hours preceding Karla's death.
Before she passed away, Karla had amassed around 90,000 followers on TikTok, where she shared fashion and dance videos.
Her final ever video shared to the social media platform features the 21-year-old telling her followers: "When they tell me they don't like me. In short, I hope you like me less."
The clip was posted mere hours before the influencer was killed.
Tributes have already begun pouring in on TikTok, with many taking to the comments section of Karla's final video to pay their respects.
Credit: TikTok
Credit: TikTok
"To the friends and family of Ms. Karla Pardini, sending the utmost sympathy for your loss," one person commented.
"RIP beautiful," another wrote, while a third commented: "We live in a cruel world."
Others started leaving the hashtag 'justice por Karla' - which translates to 'justice for Karla' - under her videos.
Credit: TikTok
The influencer's death is not out of keeping with crime rates in the area. According to the regional government, Karla is the 14th woman to be murdered in Sinaloa this year alone.
El Heraldo de Mexico reports that there is currently no clear line in the investigation. However, the outlet did add that Pardini had received threats on previous occasions.
A 23-year-old beauty influencer has been shot dead on a TikTok live stream while filming content in her salon.
Valeria Marquez was shot dead on a livestream. Credit: v___marquez / Instagram
Valeria Marquez, who had amassed nearly 200,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, was livestreaming from her Blossom Beauty Lounge in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, when a man entered the salon and opened fire, as reported by PEOPLE.
The horrific shooting took place around 6:30PM local time on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office.
In the moments leading up to her death, Marquez was seen seated at a table holding a stuffed toy during the live broadcast.
Seconds before the fatal shot, she can be heard saying: “They’re coming,” after someone in the background asks: “Hey, Vale?” She replied: “Yes,” before muting the stream.
Moments later, the fatal blow was delivered.
The stream did not end immediately. A person appeared on camera, briefly showing their face, and picked up her phone to stop the recording.
The prosecutor’s office said that Marquez was killed by a man who fired a gun at her.
Local media reports claim the shooter posed as someone delivering an “expensive gift” — something Marquez had mentioned earlier on the stream, noting she wasn’t planning to wait for them to return.
Authorities have not yet identified a suspect, but the case is being investigated as a femicide — the killing of a woman due to her gender.
In Mexico, femicide often includes factors such as degrading violence, a relationship with the perpetrator, or public display of the victim’s body.
At the scene, police and forensic experts responded to 911 calls, confirmed Marquez’s death, and transported her body for an autopsy and official family identification.
The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences also collected evidence for further investigation, per BBC News.
The footage of the livestream has since circulated widely on social media, showing Marquez clutching her ribcage after the gunshot before collapsing.
Her final social media posts included selfies and modeling shots — a mirror selfie shared on Instagram Stories expired shortly before news of her death broke.
The tragedy has once again spotlighted the deadly gender-based violence epidemic in Mexico.
According to the UN, 10 women and girls are murdered every day in the country, often by family members or intimate partners, as reported by the Guardian.
Mexico ranks alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia with the fourth-highest femicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, at 1.3 per 100,000 women.
Jalisco itself ranks sixth out of Mexico’s 32 states — including Mexico City — for homicide, with 906 murders recorded since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, according to the TResearch data consultancy.
An influencer who was shot dead on a live stream shared a chilling message shortly before she was murdered.
Valeria Marquez was shot dead on a livestream. Credit: v___marquez / Instagram
Valeria Marquez, a rising beauty content creator with over 120,000 TikTok followers and more than 90,000 fans on Instagram, was killed inside her Blossom Beauty Lounge in Zapopan, Jalisco, on Tuesday, May 13, at approximately 6:30PM local time.
According to PEOPLE, Marquez was live on TikTok during the attack. Seated at a table and holding a stuffed toy, she can be heard saying: “They’re coming,” moments before a voice calls out: “Hey, Vale?”
She responds with “Yes,” then mutes the stream. Seconds later, the fatal shots ring out.
She was hit twice in the head and once in the chest, with the stream showing her clutching her ribcage before collapsing. A figure appeared briefly on camera, picking up her phone and ending the livestream.
The Jalisco state prosecutor’s office confirmed Marquez’s death and launched a femicide investigation, a protocol in Mexico reserved for gender-based killings.
Valeria Marquez was shot dead by an alleged former lover. Credit: Instagram/v___marquez
Authorities described the shooter as a man disguised as a delivery driver, who allegedly entered the salon under the pretense of delivering an “expensive gift.”
Local publication El Heraldo identified the prime suspect as notorious cartel figure ‘Doble R’, of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG), though prosecutors have stated: “To date, there are no specific allegations in the investigation file.”
“In response to media reports that directly point to the alleged perpetrators of the murder of a woman, which occurred yesterday in Zapopan, the State Attorney General's Office clarifies that, to date, there are no specific allegations in the investigation file,” authorities said on May 14.
Hours before the attack, Marquez went live and cryptically asked her followers: “They came in the morning to get me to give me a gift. Did they want to kill me?”
She explained that an employee named Erika had told her someone sent a valuable package requiring her presence to receive.
She had also previously claimed her ex-partner had threatened her life and warned that he should be held accountable if anything happened to her.
The suspected shooter, Doble R - allegedly romantically linked to Marquez for several months - reportedly became enraged over her receiving gifts from fans online, according to El Heraldo.
The Daily Mail reports that Doble R’s criminal history may date back to 2012 and includes alleged links to the murder of model Daisy Ferrer Arenas and influencer Juan Luis Lagunas, who was reportedly killed after mocking cartel leader ‘El Mencho’ in a viral video.
The killing of Valeria Marquez has reignited conversation about Mexico’s staggering femicide rates.
Per the Guardian, 10 women and girls are murdered every day in the country, often by partners or family members.
The UN ranks Mexico alongside Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia with the fourth-highest femicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, at 1.3 per 100,000 women.
Jalisco, where the crime occurred, ranks sixth among Mexico’s 32 states in homicides, with 906 recorded since President Claudia Sheinbaum assumed office in October 2024, according to TResearch.
A social media star has been fatally killed while livestreaming to her followers, after voicing her concerns about her safety.
Valeria Marquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer from Zapopan, Mexico, was murdered while livestreaming to her TikTok followers, in a chilling attack that has reignited outrage over Mexico's ongoing femicide crisis, BBC News has reported.
Shot on camera during a moment of joy
Marquez was chatting with fans from her salon, Blossom The Beauty Lounge, when a delivery arrived at the door. Beaming as she unwrapped a stuffed animal, she held it up for her viewers.
Moments later, Marquez collapsed, shot in the head and chest. Blood pooled on the desk in front of her. The livestream continued until someone picked up her phone and ended the broadcast.
The attack shocked thousands who watched it unfold live — and countless others who viewed the aftermath online.
Valeria Marquez was shot during a livestream. Credit: Instagram/v___marquez
“Maybe they were going to kill me”
Earlier that day, a masked man had visited the salon, claiming to have a “very expensive” gift for Marquez. She never saw his face. A woman at the salon said the men wanted to deliver it in person. When Marquez heard, she expressed fear in her livestream.
"Maybe they were going to kill me," she said, according to a report from CBS News. "Were they going to come and take me away, or what? I'm worried."
Later in the stream, she said, “They're coming,” before a voice off-screen asked, “Hey, Vale?” She replied, “Yes.” Then she was shot.
Authorities believe the killers were hired assassins. “The aggressor arrived asking if the victim (Marquez) was there. So it appears he didn't know her,” said Denis Rodríguez, spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office. “With that, you can deduce — without jumping to conclusions — that this was a person who was paid. It was obviously someone who came with a purpose.”
Marquez see moments before tragedy. Credit: TikTok
A rising star silenced
Marquez had gained attention in 2021 after winning the Miss Rostro (Miss Face) beauty pageant. She built a social media presence sharing makeup tips, beauty routines, and glimpses into a luxurious lifestyle — private jets, yachts, and poolside lounging.
She had over 223,000 followers on Instagram and more than 100,000 on TikTok.
Now, her accounts are filled with tributes: "She was very beautiful," one fan wrote. "I hope justice is served, she didn't deserve that ending." Another said, "I had the opportunity to meet her in person, a person with a very beautiful energy, [I] am still in shock."
Femicide in Mexico: an epidemic of violence
Mexican authorities are investigating the murder as a suspected femicide—a term used when a woman is killed due to her gender.
According to Amnesty International, 25% of all female homicides in Mexico in 2020 were classified as femicides. In 2023, 847 femicides were reported, with 162 more recorded in the first three months of 2024. Human Rights Watch notes that just 67% of those cases ever lead to a verdict, per government figures.
"In 2022, around 4,000 women were killed in Mexico, which amounts to 12% of all homicides that year," said Juanita Goebertus, Americas Director at Human Rights Watch. “The main challenge is increasing authorities' capacity to investigate and protect witnesses and victims.”
The popular influencer had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Credit: Instagram/v___marquez
The Zapopan mayor, Juan José Frangie, said Marquez had not previously reported threats. “It’s incredible that (one minute) you’re making a video and then you’re murdered. A femicide is the worst thing,” he said.
On the same day Marquez was killed, former congressman Luis Armando Córdoba Díaz was also murdered in a nearby shopping mall—gunned down by two men on a motorcycle.
Cartel violence and a climate of fear
Though prosecutors haven’t directly linked Marquez’s murder to cartel violence, the context is unavoidable. Jalisco is home to the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Cartel training centers have been discovered nearby, and organized crime has increasingly been accused of targeting influencers.
David Saucedo, an expert on Mexican cartels, said influencers have become “another cog in the machine of organized crime.”
In January, pamphlets were reportedly dropped from planes in Culiacan threatening musicians and YouTubers.
“Justice for Valeria”
As investigators continue their search, fans, friends, and activists are demanding answers.
“So young and beautiful, she did not deserve to have her life taken away,” one comment reads. Others blame an ex-boyfriend, citing messages previously posted by Marquez warning that if something happened to her, he was responsible.
The Jalisco prosecutor's office has confirmed that the case is being handled under a femicide protocol. “All statements and clues, including videos and social media posts, are being analysed... with a gender perspective, without revictimisation and in accordance with the principles of legality, impartiality and respect for human rights,” it said in a statement.
Cinthia Abigail Tamez Rivera, known to her fans on TikTok as Cindy Tamez, was found dead on Wednesday, September 30, inside a parked car alongside the body of her two-year-old son Gustavo.
Tragically, her other two children, 12-year-old Christian and 11-year-old Bruno, and her partner, Leodegario Moya, were also found dead in their home in Montemorelos, Mexico.
All five of them suffered fatal gunshot wounds, and a .38 caliber pistol was discovered inside the Jeep the late suspect was found in.
The influencer killed her entire family. Credit: TikTok / cindytmz
Cindy allegedly shot her two sons and partner before turning the gun on her toddler then herself
According to Attorney General Javier Flores Saldivar: “The shell casings found at the spot where the woman took her own life match those associated with the various deceased individuals found in the home.”
Cindy, 34, had 98,000 followers on TikTok at the time of her death, many of whom were alarmed by her most recent post revealing her “nasty side”.
Just hours before the fatal shootings, the mom-of-three posted a video filmed from inside a moving car, which she captioned in Spanish: “Not everyone knows my nasty side.
“I’d burn down my own house just to watch my neighbour’s go up in flames, even knowing I’d get f**ked over too.”
Hinting at a troubled past and ongoing nasty dispute, a few of her other videos suggested she was seeking revenge for people who had previously hurt her.
Cindy had posted a series of sinister social media posts
One social media post said: “I can take it, but I can give it back twice as hard, so don’t think I give a f**k – I can be twice as much of a c**t as you.”
Another statement reads: “I’m probably just as much of a piece of s**t as you, or even worse, but I never screw someone over unless they’ve screwed me over first.”
Allegedly, Cindy was known to authorities long before the alleged triple murder suicide as she was involved in lending money and buying and selling items including watches, cars, chains, and cell phones.
Cops are currently investigating if there is any connection between the schemes and the deaths.
They are also looking into the meaning behind her unsettling social media presence in the weeks leading up to her death.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit988lifeline.org.
A Mexican influencer was shot dead while livestreaming with friends outside a fast food restaurant in Culiacán on Tuesday, authorities have confirmed, prompting a murder investigation.
Social media star Cesar Gastelum, who had built a following of nearly 600,000 on TikTok, had risen to recognition for his comic videos on the platform, was in the middle of a livestream when two gunmen pulled up on a motorcycle and approached Cesar and his friends.
Shocking livestream captures moment of shooting
The Mexican TikTok star was shot dead on Tuesday while on a livestream. Credit: Cesar Gastelum/TikTok
The livestream, which was captured in a recording, appears to show the driver of the motorcycle shooting at Gastelum, as he stands with his friends.
Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, reportedly has the third-highest murder rate per 100,000 residents, with the region at the center of cartel war, with organized crime groups competing for control.
A region at the center of violence perpetuated by cartels
This isn’t the only time a Mexican influencer has been killed while on a livestream. In 2025, Valeria Marquex was shot and killed while on a TikTok livestream in Zapopan, Jalisco.
Marquez fell victim after a gunman entered the salon where she was working, and shot her dead, prosecutors have alleged.
Last month, Mexican federal authorities arrested Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala in Jalisco, known more commonly as “El R-1,” a prominent figure in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Marquez’s alleged murderer is also accused of both ordering and financing the killing of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo, in November 2025.
While no arrests for the murder of Gastelum have been confirmed by authorities yet, tensions in the region are heightened following the police killing of CJNG’s leader, El Mencho, earlier this year, which prompted attacks carried out by the cartel across 20 states, starting in Jalisco.
Thousands of users have since taken to the comments section of his latest video to pay tribute.
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