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TikTok/v___marquez
A Mexican influencer was shot dead in her beauty salon while she was reportedly livestreaming on TikTok, with the deadly attack observed by her viewers in a suspected femicide.
Valeria Márquez, 23, had been broadcasting live on the video platform from her salon located in the Santa María shopping plaza, Jalisco, when a man arrived on a motorcycle.
She could then be seen looking up at someone off-camera, still live on TikTok, as a voice in the background can be heard asking, "Hey, Vale?"
"Yes," she replied, and muted the sound on the live broadcast.
Suddenly, the man shot Márquez in the chest and head before fleeing, and the live stream ended when another person picked up her phone.
The suspect has not yet been identified.
The murder appears to have been recorded on the influencer's live broadcast on TikTok, with social media posts circulating which purport to show the moment, as well as viewer sharing their horror and claiming they witnessed it.
"Right at the moment of the live, I can't delete it," one viewer commented on the creator's last video.
A second person similarly said: "...I saw everything and I'm still trembling."
Jalisco Prosecutor's Office confirmed investigation is following the protocols for femicide - the killing of women or girls for reasons of gender, Reuters reported.
Zapopan mayor Juan Jose Frangie has shared that there's no record from his office of Marquez requesting help from authorities because of threats against her.
"It's incredible that you're making a video and then you're murdered. A femicide is the worst thing," Frangie said, as per AFP.
Tributes have been pouring in for Márquez on social media, with fans expressing their upset on the influencer's TikTok account.
Mexican Blogger Mundo De Misses wrote on Instagram: "Today with deep pain and much sadness we mourn the sensitive passing of the beautiful Valeria Márquez," and described her as "a beautiful model, former beauty queen, candidate for Miss Jalisco 2023 and a brave entrepreneur who was looking to get ahead in a country where it is a challenge day to day."
One person wrote: "I hope it's not true Valeria, I hope you're okay."
"What the heck did we see in this live, rest in peace," a second person said.
A third person added: "Absolutely beautiful, how heartbreaking. May she Rest Easy."
"I send you a hug from here to heaven," a fourth person commented.
Márquez's death comes as national survey data, reported by Vision of Humanity, shows seven in 10 women over the age of 15 report experiencing some form of violence during their lifetimes.
Meanwhile, 10 women or girls are murdered every day by partners or family members in Mexico, according to the UN.
Indy100 has reached out to TikTok for comment.
Elsewhere, Ancient pyramid collapse in Mexico due to severe climate change - is it a 'bad omen'? and TikTok star Dominique McShain dies aged 21 from colon cancer.
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