Mexican TikTok Star, Husband, 2 Kids Found Wrapped In Plastic In Cartel-Style Execution

Mexican TikTok influencer Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay and her family were found dead inside a pickup truck in the San Andres neighbourhood of Guadalajara on August 22.

The bodies of 32-year-old Esmeralda, her husband, 36-year-old Roberto Carlos Gil Licea, their 13-year-old son, Gael Santiago, and their 7-year-old daughter, Regina, were found wrapped in plastic, authorities said.

Prosecutor Alfonso Gutierrez Santillan said the killings appear to be linked to cartel violence, according to a report in The New York Post.

According to CCTV footage obtained by the Latin Times, the investigators traced the truck's route and discovered that it passed through a nearby auto repair shop. At the shop, police found bloodstains, spent bullet casings and other ballistic evidence.

Based on the evidence, the authorities concluded that the family was executed at the shop before being driven to another location where the bodies were ultimately left inside the vehicle.

Mr Santillan said, "While the forensic results are not yet in, ballistic and blood evidence almost certainly confirm they were murdered at that location."

During the investigation, authorities detained two workers - identified as Hector Manuel Valdivia Martinez and a suspect known by the nickname El Chino - from the auto repair shop. After questioning, the two men were released because the prosecutors did not have enough evidence to formally charge them, according to PEOPLE.

After leaving the prosecutor's office, the two men were ambushed by an armed group along with two relatives who were with them at the time. During the abduction, El Chino managed to escape while the other three people remained missing. 

Prosecutor Blanca Trujillo said that the attackers had been watching the exit for more than two hours and had carefully planned their actions, according to local media reports.

Garibay was a popular TikTok influencer with over 44,000 followers. She often showed a luxurious lifestyle by posting videos of high-end products such as Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, as well as luxury cars, cosmetic surgery procedures, and expensive vacations.

She also posted lip-syncing videos to narco-corridos, a type of Mexican ballad that glorifies drug cartels and their activities. Some of her videos implied that her husband was connected to a cartel, which authorities say may have attracted the attention of criminal groups.