Colombian influencer 'La Mona' fatally shot outside home amid femicide crisis in Latin America

Maria Jose Estupinan Sanchez, widely known as ‘La Mona’, was a 22-year-old Colombian influencer and communications student at Francisco de Paula Santander University.

She was fatally shot outside her home in Cucuta, Norte de Santander, earlier this week. Her death follows the recent killing of Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez, drawing alarming attention to rising violence against women in Latin America.

Local police confirmed that Sanchez was approached by a man disguised as a delivery person before being shot. Surveillance footage showed the suspect fleeing on foot. The attacker was described as wearing a black cap, jacket, jeans, and carrying a backpack.

Although the suspect remains unidentified, Sanchez's ex-boyfriend—against whom she had recently won a domestic violence case worth 30 million COP—is under investigation.

Sanchez had previously filed a complaint against this former partner in 2018. Reports suggest she may have also been romantically linked to a man recently killed in Villa Antigua, further complicating the investigation.

La Mona dreamed of becoming a national television presenter and was preparing to begin her professional internship at Canal TRO. Her final academic project focused on commercial radio in Cucuta. Friends and colleagues describe her as driven, warm, and full of potential.