Photo: Maria Jose Estupinan/Facebook
Influencer Maria Jose Estupiñan has died at the age of 22 after being shot and killed in a way similar to another influencer days prior, CNN reports.
Estupiñan, a student at a university in Cucuta, Colombia, located near the Venezuela border, was fatally shot last Thursday (May 15), Magda Victoria Acosta, president of the National Gender Commission of the Colombian Judiciary, confirmed during a news conference. Acosta said the suspect was disguised as a delivery man when he shot Estupiñan at her door.
“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,” Acosta said via CNN.
Estupiñan, who showcased her travels and daily life on her popular Facebook page, had reportedly been the victim of a domestic violence case and was soon due compensation as the commission "very strongly" condemned the crime, according to Acosta.
Colombian authorities are investigating the killing, which mirrors the murder of Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez two days prior. Marquez, of Jalisco, was shot in the chest and head at her Blossom the Beauty Lounge salon by a man also pretending to deliver a gift while on her TikTok livestream last Tuesday (May 13).
The gunman pulled up outside the salon on a motorbike and opened fire mid-livestream. Marquez's followers who witnessed the horrifying incident described seeing the influencer clutch her ribcage just prior to collapsing on the floor. The gunman reportedly entered the salon and fired another round before fleeing the scene.
Marquez, who had shared a selfie taken at the salon on her Instagram Story hours before the shooting, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Marquez was seen on the livestream saying, "they're coming" before a voice off screen said, "hey, Vale?" to which she replied, "yes," and muted the video, at which point the suspect opened fire. Jalisco is considered to be a hotbed for criminal activity as the home of one of Mexico's most violent drug trafficking groups, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Marquez amassed a large following on social media, posting videos related to beauty and lifestyle, with several gaining hundreds of thousands of views.
"The victim is someone with an active presence and influence on social media," the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office said in a statement translated by CBS News. "A man entered the premises and apparently fired a gun at her."