Maria Jose Estupinan Sanchez, a 22-year-old social media influencer, was fatally shot outside her home in Cucuta, Colombia, earlier this week. Sanchez was at home in the La Riviera neighbourhood when a man posing as a deliveryman approached her with a fake present and shot her from close range, local media outlet Noticias Caracol reported.
The footage of a security camera installed in the neighbourhood showed the suspect running away from Sanchez's home after shooting her, as her loud cries for help echo in the background.
Per the report, Sanchez was rushed to the hospital soon after the incident but succumbed to her injuries later. The incident happened around 1:00 PM local time, according to police.
"She was killed by a man who pretended to be delivering a package," Colonel Leonardo Capacho of Cucuta's Metropolitan Police said.
The attack on the influencer came a day after she reportedly won a domestic abuse case against her ex-boyfriend, securing a payout of 30 million COP (approximately USD 7,000), local media reports said. Authorities are now probing the ex-boyfriend as a key suspect as they believe the courtroom win might have any connection to her murder, per a report by Canal TRO.
However, no arrests have been confirmed so far. Police are looking for the prime suspect seen in security footage wearing a black cap with a jacket, jeans, and a backpack.
Sanchez, a seventh-semester student studying Social Communication at the University of Pamplona, frequently posted about her life as a model and a student on social media, earning her many followers.
The attack on Sanchez came days after Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez was fatally shot during a live stream. The TikTokker was also targeted by a man posing as a deliveryman. Her murder was labelled a 'Femicide' and is being investigated.
