Beauty Influencer, 23, Assassinated by Hitman During TikTok Livestream After Splitting With Drug Lord's Son, Authorities Claim
Valeria Marquez died in May 2025.
Aug. 3 2026, Published 1:24 p.m. ET
Beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was killed last May by a hitman in an act authorities are calling "femicide."
Marquez was the target of a motorbike-riding gunman while she was livestreaming from her salon, Blossom the Beauty Lounge, in Mexico. Investigators alleged the individual was working under the directive of Ramon "El R1" Angel Alvarez Ayala, a senior figure in the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), RadarOnline.com has learned.
Valeria Marquez's Case Gets Fresh Update
Authorities believe they identified who was responsible for her death.
Authorities alleged Marquez was romantically linked to the drug lord's son, Francisco Alvarez. They allegedly plotted Marquez's death after she broke their relationship off.
Omar Garcia Harfuch, the federal security secretary, claimed: "The son of R1 had a romantic relationship with Valeria [Marquez], he had threatened her on several occasions, and everything indicates – and this will be proven – that the son asked his father, R1, to commit the femicide."
Ayala was arrested on Thursday following a high-speed car chase. A member of Ayala's security team was killed during the operation. However, Ayala's son and the gunman remain at large.
Marquez Gives Fans Ominous Warning
Fans watched on livestream as the attack played out.
The horrifying hit was captured during Marquez's livestream. The 23-year-old looked outside the window of her salon before telling her followers, "They're coming."
She was hit with a shower of bullets in both her head and chest. She clutched a wound by her ribcage before falling over dead.
The attack did not come without foreshadowing. Marquez previously suggested the breakup could lead to her demise. She admitted to being threatened, adding that her boyfriend should be held "responsible for anything that happens to me and my family."
Marquez appeared to distance herself from her ex in more ways, too. She told her followers she was changing as a person.
"I've stopped being around thugs, I'm a good girl," she said.
Hitman's Alleged Orders Revealed
A masked man asked her about a delivery.
Before the attack, Marquez told followers about a suspicious incident, which authorities believe is linked to the deadly shooting.
She told her followers a masked man attempted to deliver her a gift.
"Maybe they were goin' to kill me or something," she speculated.
Alaya allegedly ordered the gunman to enter Marquez's salon while pretending to carry out a delivery. He was allegedly then instructed to get her to confirm her identity before carrying out the vile murder.
Cartel Leader Linked to Mayor's Murder
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The drug boss was allegedly responsible for the death of a Mexican mayor.
Alaya's arrest was associated with another murder, too. He was accused of killing the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo, during a Day of the Dead festival.
Manzo was shot in the back by a teenage hitman, who was in turn shot dead by security. The mayor died later in the hospital.
Alaya's cartel, Los Rs, has a lengthy history and received criticism from President Donald Trump, who declared it a foreign terrorist organization. The United States cited concern with their dealings in cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine. Additionally, the cartel was accused of extorting businesses.
Harfuch confirmed the investigations regarding the two incidents were separate.
"It is a separate investigation from that of Mayor Manzo, but with this arrest we also have leads and evidence to locate the other person involved in the homicide, who is this subject's son."
