The bodies of Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay, her husband, and their two children were found wrapped in plastic in their pickup truck in Mexico. Authorities say the family was killed in what appears to be a cartel-style attack, according to the New York Post.
Who was Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay?
TikToker and singer Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay, 32; her husband Roberto Carlos Gil Licea, 36; son Gael Santiago, 13; and daughter Regina, 7, were found dead inside an abandoned gray Ford Ranger in Guadalajara on August 22, prosecutor Alfonso Gutierrez Santillan said at a press conference. Licea is believed to have been the main target, according to Mexican outlet El Financiero.
Garibay was a Mexican content creator who began posting on TikTok in April 2020, sharing comedic lip-sync videos. As her followers grew, she added lifestyle and travel content.
She often showed off a luxurious lifestyle, posting videos of her Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton items, as well as luxury cars, cosmetic surgery, and vacations. Garibay had over 44,000 TikTok followers.
Some of her videos included lip-syncing to narco-corridos, a style of Mexican ballads that often glorifies drug cartels. Some clips suggested her husband might have connections to such groups. For example, one video showed the text “Advantages of having a narco boyfriend” while she posed with a Gucci handbag.
So far, there’s no proof that Garibay or her husband were part of a cartel. Rumors suggest her husband’s work in selling vehicles and tomato farming in Michoacan State may have made him a target for organized crime. The family had recently moved to Guadalajara from Michoacan for better work opportunities—a region the US State Department notes can be dangerous.
Investigators tracked the truck using surveillance video back to a nearby auto repair shop. There, they found bloodstains, bullet casings, and other evidence showing the family may have been killed at the shop before their bodies were moved, Latin Times reported.
“While the forensic results are not yet in, ballistic and blood evidence almost certainly confirm they were murdered at that location,” prosecutor Santillan said.
Two men at the auto repair shop were initially detained but later released due to insufficient evidence, Diario de Yucatan reported.
A shocking twist
Minutes after leaving the prosecutor’s office, the two men were kidnapped by armed attackers. They had met two acquaintances outside when three people were taken; one managed to escape and remains missing.
Prosecutor Blanca Trujillo said the attackers had waited over two hours before striking, suggesting the attack was planned. It’s unclear whether it was retaliation for Garibay’s family’s murder.
