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Mexico’s Security Minister announced that authorities have detained a suspect in the alleged murder of TikTok influencer César Gastélum during a livestream
Authorities said Gastélum’s killing may be linked to his social media posts referencing a criminal group, per CBS News
Gastélum’s death highlights ongoing violence in Sinaloa amid a crackdown on drug cartels by Mexican officials
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of TikTok influencer César Gastélum.
Mexico’s Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch shared on X that authorities identified a man named Jesús Alberto “N” as “one of the two individuals” who shot and killed Gastélum during a livestream in Culiacán, Mexico earlier this month.
Harfuch said they located the suspect. According to CBS News, authorities found him in Puebla, Mexico.
During the operation to apprehend him, investigative agents “were attacked by three armed subjects,” Harfuch claimed. They noted that one of the attackers “lost his life,” while the two other attackers — which included Alberto, the suspect they were trying to detain — were arrested.
A photo of TikTok influencer César Gastélum.
Credit: Cesar Gastelum/Instagram
He said that “three firearms, ammunition and vehicles were seized at the scene” following the attack.
“The investigations continue to apprehend all those responsible. There will be no impunity,” Harfuch said in a translated post.
The update comes more than three weeks after Gastélum, who had more than 600,000 followers on TikTok, was killed in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state in Mexico.
He was carrying out a social media challenge outside a fast-food restaurant with two other people when two armed men on a motorcycle approached them, per local outlet Excelsior and CBS News. In footage of the livestream, the driver appeared to fire a gun directly at Gastélum, according to Reuters.
Authorities’ preliminary investigation found that Gastélum’s alleged murder was connected to his social media posts “alluding to a faction of a criminal group,” according to Mexico’s security secretariat, per CBS News.
A photo of Mexican influencer César Gastélum.
Credit: Cesar Gastelum/Instagram
Gastélum’s death comes amid ongoing violence in Sinaloa, located about 800 miles northwest of Mexico City. Thousands of people have been reported killed or missing as rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel continue to battle, according to CBS News and BBC.
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In the past several months, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has pursued a targeted crackdown on drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel.
Gastélum isn’t the only influencer killed in Mexico in recent months. Valeria Marquez was also killed during a livestream in Jalisco, Mexico, in May 2025. Mexican cartel member Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala was arrested in connection with her death on July 30.
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