Killing of Carolina Flores Gómez

Carolina Flores Gómez was born on April 4, 1999, in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. At 17 she was crowned Miss Teen Universe Baja California 2017, going on to represent her home state in national pageants and later working as a content creator focused on fashion and lifestyle. She was in a relationship with Alejandro Sánchez Herrera, with whom she had an eight-month-old baby; the couple had relocated from Baja California to Mexico City in December 2025.

On April 15, 2026, Flores Gómez was shot six times in the Polanco apartment where she lived with Alejandro and their baby. The shooting occurred during a heated argument with her mother-in-law, Erika María Guadalupe Herrera, 63, a former local politician who had been a PRD candidate for councilwoman in Ensenada in 2016. Erika María had traveled from Ensenada to Mexico City days before the killing to visit the family, with whom she reportedly had personal conflicts; authorities concluded the attack may have been premeditated. A baby monitor in the apartment recorded the argument and the shooting, which occurred in the presence of Alejandro and the baby. In the recording, Alejandro is heard confronting his mother, and Erika María reportedly responded that Carolina had "stolen" her son from her. The case was characterized as a femicide due to the prior family disputes between the two women.

Alejandro filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Office of Mexico City (FGJCDMX) the following day, April 16, a delay that drew public criticism. He stated the delay resulted from fear of his mother and a desire to protect the baby, according to statements attributed to Carolina's mother, Reyna Gómez Molina. Alejandro said he left the apartment with the baby to try to stop his mother's escape, without success; Erika María had called a taxi and left with luggage rather than fleeing immediately. She was later reported to have traveled through Central America before reaching Caracas, Venezuela, where she was located and arrested on April 29, 2026, following an Interpol red notice. A formal international arrest warrant had been issued for her on April 27, and Mexican authorities were reported to be arranging her extradition.

The FGJCDMX also issued an immigration alert for Erika María within Mexico and identified inconsistencies in Alejandro's statement, with authorities not ruling out that he could also face investigation. Baja California governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda expressed support for Carolina's family and pledged state cooperation with the Mexico City investigation. The case prompted public protests and the hashtag #JusticiaParaCarolina, with family members and activist groups calling attention to violence against women within family circles.