Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay, 32, her husband Roberto Carlos Gil Licea, 36, their 13-year-old son Gael Santiago, and seven-year-old daughter Regina were found dead in a pickup truck in Mexico
A TikTok star and her family have been found brutally slain in Mexico, discovered inside a pickup truck.
Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay, 32, her husband Roberto Carlos Gil Licea, 36, their 13 year old son Gael Santiago, and seven year old daughter Regina were found dead in an abandoned grey Ford Ranger in Guadalajara, Jalisco, last Friday. Mexican authorities only confirmed the victims’ identities yesterday.
The family had moved to the Guadalajara metropolitan area for work just months earlier. Roberto was involved in vehicle trading and also had interests in tomato farming in Michoacan state.
Officers are suggesting that the horrific slayings may be linked to his business activities.
Going by the name Esmeralda FG online, she had built up tens of thousands of followers across social media platforms, especially on TikTok using the username @esmeraldafg222. She was recognised for posting lifestyle and travel material, but also drew attention for her clips miming along to “narcocorrido” drug ballads, reports the Mirror US.
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Among her most controversial content were provocative captions such as “advantages of having a narco boyfriend,” accompanied by drug ballads, some alluding to the Beltrán Leyva cartel. Her last upload, from August 7, racked up over 100,000 views, whilst other clips have clocked up more than 600,000 hits.
In her videos, the social media star showed off luxury brands such as Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, and Versace, along with posh holiday locations and high-end motors. She also posted clips featuring her kids and her Pomeranian dogs.
Detectives tracked part of the pickup’s route using CCTV footage, leading them to a local mechanic’s garage. Prosecutor Alfonso Gutierrez Santillan stated, “The scene was processed, and investigators found multiple pieces of evidence suggesting the family was killed there.
“While the forensic results are not yet in, ballistic and blood evidence almost certainly confirm they were murdered at that location.”
Two blokes who were at the workshop were taken in for questioning but were later released due to lack of evidence.
After leaving the prosecutor’s office, they met up with two other individuals who had been waiting for them, as reported by NeedToKnow.
Shortly after, gunmen intercepted the group and forcibly kidnapped three of them, while one managed to escape. The three missing men are still unaccounted for, and officials are on the hunt for the fourth to get his statement.
Prosecutor Blanca Trujillo said, “Investigations show the perpetrators had been watching the exit for over two hours. “It wasn’t an immediate attack – they waited until the group had moved a few meters before carrying out the abduction. “.
This horrific family murder comes amidst a wave of brutal violence that continues to sweep across Mexico, with many attacks specifically targeting performers of the narco corridos drug ballads. Earlier this month, the music industry was rocked by the tragic death of Ernesto Barajas, the lead singer of the popular group Enigma Norteno.
The band, famed for their songs glorifying cartels and boasting around four million monthly listeners on Spotify, suffered a devastating loss when their frontman was brutally murdered. He was shot dead by two individuals on a motorbike in the municipality of Zapopan, situated in the state of Jalisco.
Authorities have since initiated an investigation into the incident.
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