Guadalajara, September 2: TikTok influencer Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay, 32, her husband Roberto Carlos Gil Licea, 36, and their two young children were found brutally murdered in Guadalajara, Mexico, in what authorities suspect was a cartel-related execution. Their bodies, wrapped in plastic, were discovered inside an abandoned pickup truck on August 22. Investigators believe the killings were carried out at an auto repair shop before the vehicle was abandoned.

Authorities traced the pickup truck to a nearby auto repair shop, where bloodstains, spent bullet casings, and other ballistic evidence suggested that the family was executed on-site before being transported to another location, the New York Post reported. Two men present at the shop were briefly detained but later released after prosecutors found insufficient evidence linking them directly to the murders. Officials are continuing to review surveillance footage to piece together the movements of the suspects leading up to the killings. Mexico Horror: Dismembered Bodies of 9 Missing Students Found in Abandoned Car With Bag of Severed Hands on Highway in San Jose Miahuatlan, Investigation Underway.

In a shocking twist, two acquaintances of the deceased were kidnapped minutes after leaving the prosecutor’s office, with three of the four taken while one managed to escape. Officials described the abduction as a coordinated attack, suggesting possible retaliation linked to the murders. Investigators are awaiting the survivor’s testimony to understand the motive and perpetrators better. Sinkhole in Mexico: Traffic Disrupted After 40-Meter Sinkhole Swallows 2 Trucks in Guadalajara, Video Surfaces.

Garibay, known for showcasing her lavish lifestyle and posting lip-sync videos to narco-corridos, had over 44,000 TikTok followers. While her social media implied connections to cartel culture, there is no evidence that she or her husband was directly involved in organised crime. As per the report, authorities suspect that Roberto Gil Licea’s business in vehicle sales and tomato farming in Michoacán may have made him a target for cartel-related violence.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2025 10:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).