The fatal shooting of a Colombian influencer and model is being investigated as a femicide by authorities, less than a week after a similar incident in Mexico raised concerns over deadly acts of violence against women in both countries.
According to police, María José Estupiñán, a 22-year-old student, model and social media influencer from Cúcuta in northeastern Colombia, was killed at her home on May 15 by a suspect posing as a delivery driver.
Estupiñán was shot in the face when she opened the door. Surveillance footage of the incident obtained by police showed the assailant fleeing the scene shortly after it occurred.
Magda Victoria Acosta, the president of the national gender commission of the Colombian judiciary, condemned the killing, saying women’s lives across the country were being unjustly ended as a result of gender-based violence.
“She was a young, enterprising woman with a whole life ahead of her, but those dreams are cut short like the dreams of many women in this country,” she said during a news conference.
Following Estupiñán’s death, Colombian police said she had been abused by her former partner — who’s now a suspect — and suggested that the killing could have been a femicide, the targeted and purposeful killing of women and girls because of their gender.
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“It could be a case of femicide, since she filed several complaints for domestic violence in previous years, but that is a matter of investigation,” Cúcuta police Col. Leonardo Capacho said.
Police also confirmed that there were existing accusations against the suspect.
“According to what we have been able to verify, he indeed made some threats, and there were complaints against him. We are taking all urgent actions to establish what happened and bring those responsible for this act to Justice,” Col. William Quintero, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Cucuta, told local media.
The victim had previously reported her ex-partner for domestic violence, according to women’s rights lawyers. Moreover, the day before she died, a judge reportedly ruled in her favour and ordered her abuser to pay Estupiñán 30 million pesos — about C$9,900 — in damages.
Women’s rights advocates in Colombia argue that state authorities could have prevented the killing but continue to sit idly by.
Alejandra Vera, the director of feminist collective Woman, Speak Out and Move It, based in Cúcuta, told the Guardian that “the brutal murder of María José is the result of a system that normalises violence against women,” adding that “Colombia is facing a pandemic of femicides — every 28 hours, a woman is a victim. Each crime reflects a systematic pattern of impunity and state negligence.”
“María José, like thousands, did what the system demands. She reported the crime, presented evidence, and asked for help. But the state let her die,” Vera said. “There are no effective protection orders, no follow-up care for abusers, and no shelters with the capacity. Women are left completely unprotected, and the perpetrators know it.”
According to the Colombian Observatory of Femicides, in 2024, there were 886 femicides in Colombia, marking a seven-year high.
Estupiñán’s death came less than a week after 23-year-old beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was shot dead by a man who entered the beauty salon where she worked in Zapopan, central Mexico, near Guadalajara, while she was livestreaming on TikTok.
Her death is being treated as a femicide by local authorities.
Seconds before the incident, Marquez was seen on her TikTok livestream seated at a table, holding onto a stuffed toy. She was heard saying, “They’re coming,” before a voice in the background asked, “Hey, Vale?”
Marquez responded “yes” before muting the livestream.
At the time of her death, Marquez had about 200,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, and had said earlier on the livestream that a person had arrived at the salon when she was not there with an “expensive gift” for her. Marquez, who appeared concerned when telling the story, said she was not planning to wait for the person to come back.
Jalisco, the state where her murder took place, is ranked sixth out of Mexico’s 32 states, including Mexico City, for homicides, with 906 recorded there since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term in October 2024, according to data consultancy TResearch.
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