TikTok star found dead with husband and kids in truck amid 'cartel murder' fears

A TikTok star has been found murdered along with her family inside a pickup truck in Mexico.

Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay, 32, was discovered dead as well as her husband Roberto Carlos Gil Licea, 36, 13-year-old son Gael Santiago, and seven-year-old daughter Regina. Mexican authorities found the abandoned grey Ford Ranger in Guadalajara, Jalisco, last Friday, but only confirmed their identities yesterday.

The family had moved to the Guadalajara metropolitan area for work just months earlier. Roberto was involved in buying and selling vehicles and in tomato farming in Michoacan state. Authorities believe the killings may be linked to his business activities.

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Esmeralda, known online as Esmeralda FG, had tens of thousands of followers on social media using the handle @esmeraldafg222 on TikTok. She shared lifestyle and travel content, but also posted videos of herself lip-syncing to "narcocorrido" drug ballads.

Some of her most controversial posts feature provocative phrases like "advantages of having a narco boyfriend," while being set to the music of the drug ballads, some alluding to the Beltrán Leyva cartel. Her last post was on from August 7 which received more than 100,000 views, while other videos have racked up more than 600,000 visits.

In her videos, the influencer showcased luxury brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana or Versace as well as exclusive holiday destinations and expensive cars. She also posted clips with her children and her Pomeranian dogs.

Investigators tracked part of the pickup's route using CCTV, which led them to a nearby mechanic's workshop. Prosecutor Alfonso Gutierrez Santillan said: "The scene was processed, and investigators found multiple pieces of evidence suggesting the family was killed there.

"While the forensic results are not yet in, ballistic and blood evidence almost certainly confirm they were murdered at that location." Two men present at the workshop were taken in to give statements but were later released due to lack of evidence.

Upon leaving the prosecutor's office, they met with two other individuals who had been waiting for them, as reported by NeedToKnow.

Minutes later, armed men intercepted the group and forcibly took three of them, while one managed to escape.
The three missing men remain unaccounted for, and authorities are seeking the fourth to obtain his statement.

Prosecutor Blanca Trujillo said: "Investigations show the perpetrators had been watching the exit for over two hours. "It wasn't an immediate attack - they waited until the group had moved a few metres before carrying out the abduction."

The family's death comes as a wave of extreme violence continues to sweep Mexico and many killings have been directed towards singers of the narco corridos drug ballads.

Earlier this month Ernesto Barajas, who was the lead singer of the popular group Enigma Norteno, which has around four million monthly listeners on Spotify, was killed. The band was famous for its songs dedicated to cartels. He was shot dead by two people on a motorbike in the municipality of Zapopan, also in the state of Jalisco, with police having opened an investigation.