On Friday, August 22, 2025, neighbors of the San Andres neighborhood in Guadalajara, Jalisco, alerted authorities to the discovery of a gray Ford Ranger pickup abandoned on the street.
Inside they found the lifeless bodies of a family: TikTok influencer Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay (32 years old), her husband Roberto Carlos Gil Licea (36 years old), and their two youngest children, Gael Santiago (13) and Regina (7). The victims had been reported missing days before the grisly discovery.
The Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Deputy Prosecutor Alfonso Gutiérrez Santillán, reported that evidence such as bullet casings and blood stains were found in a nearby mechanic’s shop – identified as “La Araña” – suggesting that the family was killed there before being moved and abandoned in the van.
Although two workers at the workshop – Hector Manuel Valdivia Martinez and a man nicknamed “El Chino” – were initially arrested, they were released for lack of evidence.
In a chilling twist, Valdivia and other acquaintances were kidnapped by an armed group as they left the Public Prosecutor’s Office, while “El Chino” managed to escape. This fact reinforces the hypothesis of a coordinated execution by criminal groups. .
Who was Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay?
Known on TikTok as Esmeralda FG, the influencer was originally from Michoacán and had around 18,000 to more than 43,000 followers, according to different sources.
Her content focused on showing a glamorous lifestyle: dresses from brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton, travel, cosmetic surgeries and her life on the ranch.
He also used to share videos of “narcocorridos” with phrases such as “advantages of having a narcoboyfriend”, which generated controversy about his relationship with narco-culture.
However, authorities have clarified that the main line of investigation is not linked to her activity as a content creator, but to the business of her husband, who was involved in the buying and selling of vehicles and the cultivation of tomatoes in Michoacan — a region with a strong organized crime presence — which could have made him a target.
The brutal murder of Esmeralda Ferrer Garibay and her family – an event that shocked both Guadalajara and her supporters – highlights the violence that plagues certain regions of Mexico and the vulnerability of digital figures.
The investigation is still ongoing, but for now, everything points to a planned execution related to the husband’s business environment, and not directly to the network posts.
Here is a video that narrates the chilling facts of the influencer.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
