The Tragic Story of Valeria Márquez: Beauty Influencer Killed on Livestream

May 13, 2025, was particularly traumatic for the online world when the 23-year-old Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Márquez was fatally shot when she was broadcasting live on TikTok from her salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.

The horrifying death that had played out in front of viewers' eyes sparked national outrage and opened up urgent discussions about the threats of gender violence, and how dangerous it is to be a woman in Mexico, especially a woman in the public eye.

Who Was Valeria Márquez?

Valeria Márquez was a rising star in Mexico's influencer and beauty space. With nearly 200,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, she began to rise in popularity with her beauty tutorials, skin-care recommendations, and her glamorous lifestyle that felt relatable. Valeria was a very bubbly and genuine personality, which allowed her to snap her audience in easily.

Valeria was not just an influencer; she was a business owner. She owned and operated Blossom The Beauty Lounge, where she ultimately lost her life. In 2021 she became crowned as Miss Rostro, a regional beauty pageant title that helped catapult her career both digitally and in person.

The Shooting: What Happened?

Valeria was livestreaming from inside her salon on the day of the event. In the video, she seemed anxious and appeared to express some discomfort about a recent patron who had left an expensive gift for her, indicating she felt unsafe. At one point, she said to her followers “I think I am going to leave.”

Suddenly, at about 6:30 PM, a man on a motorcycle showed up outside the salon. He came inside the salon and without warning he shot Valeria point blank in the head and chest. Valeria's final words on the stream was "They are coming." Then the stream ended, and viewers were stunned.

Emergency responders arrived shortly after, and Valeria was declared dead at the crime scene. Her body was taken to the Jalisco Forensic Medical Service.

A Crime of Femicide?

Authorities in Jalisco are looking into the incident as a possible femicide, which, under Mexican law, outlines the intentional killing of women based on gender. This classification most often involves crimes committed with public or excessive violence or for cases when women were subjected to threats or harassment before their murder.

Prosecutors are suspicious hired gunmen were behind this murder. According to early reports indicated that two men, who remain unidentified, had visited her salon earlier in the day and asked for her by name. The person who ultimately killed her matched the description of one of the men.

No arrests have been made yet, and the investigation is ongoing.

Public Reaction and Outrage

The killing of Valeria Márquez has provoked outrage across Mexico and beyond. Fans flooded her social media pages with messages of sadness and anger, seeking answers. Many pointed out that Márquez's murder is another part of a disturbing pattern of violent acts against women in Mexico. Influencers, celebrities, and women rights activists joined in to call for better protection for women and stricter applications of laws against femicide.

In Mexico, around 10 women are killed every day and many of those murders are never solved. Valeria's public visibility brought renewed attention to what has been and remains a continuing problem in the country.

Valeria’s Legacy and a Call for Change

The death of Valeria Márquez is not just a loss for family, friends, and fans; it represents the threat to many women, particularly to women in public life, in a society plagued by systemic violence. The situation has prompted national conversations about changes needed, from public safety to the systemic and cultural legal conditions that continue to allow femicide to exist.

As family, friends, and fans of Valeria Márquez continue to mourn her death, many others want to ensure that her death is not in vain, and the pressure is growing on Mexican authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the events surrounding her death, to hold those involved accountable, and take verifiable action to protect women across the country.