Zapopan (Mexico) - The 23-year-old influencer Valeria Marquez, who was shot dead during a TikTok livestream , appears to have been the victim of a targeted assassination, according to Mexican authorities. Her ex-boyfriend Ricardo R. - apparently a known member of a drug cartel - is considered the main suspect in the case.

As the Mexican newspaper"El Universal" reported, citing social media users, Ricardo R. had been in a relationship with the slain influencer for months. This was also reported by"La Silla Rota", citing authorities.

Ricardo R., allegedly also known as "El Doble R", "RR" or "El Tripa", is a drug lord from Guanajuato and leader of a division of a Mexican drug cartel called Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

According to reports, he has already been linked to the deaths of women on several occasions in the past.

According to "La Silla Rota", authorities have stated that Ricardo R. was recently angry with the influencer because she repeatedly received expensive gifts from her followers.

Valeria Marquez was a model and beauty and lifestyle influencer. As she was streaming live on TikTok in her beauty salon in Zapopan on Tuesday evening, May 13 (local time), a man apparently entered the store and fired several pistol shots at the woman.

He apparently wanted to see her under the pretext of handing over a gift. She died on the spot. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.