El País reported that authorities found Carolina Flores Gómez, 27, inside an apartment in Polanco, one of Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, on April 15 with a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators say her husband, identified as Alejandro N, and her mother-in-law, identified as Erika María N, were present at the time. Authorities have identified Erika María N as the alleged perpetrator.

The case has sparked outrage in Mexico for two reasons: authorities identified a family member as the alleged perpetrator, and someone reportedly waited until the following day to notify officials. El País reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office first opened the case as a homicide, which prompted feminist groups to demand an investigation under the femicide protocol.

A leaked video raised more questions

According to El País, local media obtained a leaked video that appeared to capture part of the incident inside the couple’s home. The outlet reported that Gómez and her mother-in-law spoke before both women moved out of the camera’s frame. Moments later, the video captured the sound of multiple gunshots.

In the footage described by the outlet, Alejandro N appears holding the couple’s eight-month-old baby and asks his mother what she had done. Erika María N allegedly replied that Gómez had made her angry.

The reported exchange has fuelled public anger and raised more questions about what happened inside the apartment, why authorities received the report late, and why officials had not reported an arrest by the time El País published its article.

Investigators who responded to the residence seized a firearm, seven spent shell casings and four deformed bullets, according to El País. The outlet also reported that Erika María N’s whereabouts were unknown. 

Her family is demanding justice

Gómez’s family, friends and supporters have called for justice and planned a march in Ensenada, Baja California, for April 25, according to El País.

“Carolina has a history, a family… and she deserves justice,” read part of a call to action shared by a collective in Baja California, according to the outlet. “May her name not be erased. May her story not be silenced.” 

The public response has grown as more details have emerged. Many people online have focused on the alleged role of the mother-in-law, the presence of Gómez’s husband and baby, and the delay in reporting the killing.

Feminist groups have also criticised how authorities handled the case, arguing that officials should treat violent deaths of women with urgency from the beginning.

Carolina was a mother, model and former beauty queen

According to El País, Gómez was born on April 4, 1999, and began competing in beauty pageants as a teenager. In 2017, she won the Miss Teen Universe Baja California title and represented her state at the national competition.

Her pageant work also led to opportunities in modeling. She was the mother of an eight-month-old baby. Her death has now become a national flashpoint, with many calling for a transparent investigation into everyone who was present at the apartment and the circumstances surrounding the delayed report.

As of the latest reports, the investigation remains ongoing.

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