One of the main pieces of evidence in the Carolina Flores murder case includes security footage captured inside a Polanco apartment. Carolina Flores was a 27-year-old beauty queen and model originally from Ensenada, Baja California. The murder took place on April 15th, and her mother-in-law is being charged.
The video lasts for roughly 45 seconds. It features Flores, dressed in pajamas and slippers, approaching Érika María Herrera Coriant, 63, who was present at the time. Inaudible dialogue takes place between them for several seconds, and the pair goes into the kitchen. Then, a gunshot can be heard, followed by screams, and five additional shots.
Following this, Herrera Coriant calmly returns to the living room to meet her son, Alejandro Sánchez, Flores’s husband, and the father of their 8-month-old baby. When asked, “What did you do, Mom?” she responded, “Nothing, she made me angry.” When Sánchez entered the kitchen and saw the body of his wife, he said, “She is my family,” to which Herrera Coriant replied, “She is my family too. You were mine, she stole you from me.”
According to the Mexico City Attorney General’s office, Sánchez submitted a formal complaint to the authorities on April 16, which was the day after the murder, identifying Herrera Coriant as the perpetrator. The reasons for not reporting the crime at once remain unknown. At the moment, neither Sánchez nor his mother has been detained and investigated.
There are some unconfirmed reports according to which gunshots were heard by neighbors on April 15; in addition, Sánchez was spotted the same night in the living room with the baby in a shocked state. Another theory suggests that it was he who called the police late, after an hour or so.
It was only on April 16 that Sánchez reportedly called Flores’ mother, Reyna Gómez, and informed her about his mother having shot the latter’s daughter.
With the release of the video, public outrage increased even further since no suspects had been arrested one week after the incident. Under pressure, the Attorney General’s Office stated that the investigation was now considered a femicide.
Days following the murder, a Facebook post from what was believed to be Carolina Flores resurfaced online. Dated April 4th, the picture features Flores, her husband, and baby, and carries disturbing commentary: “Was this what I was so afraid of?” apparently alluding to her family life.
Carolina Flores is famous throughout Ensenada for being the 2017 Miss Teen Universe Baja California titleholder, as well as a model and promotional figure for tourism. Her funeral ceremony took place on Monday, April 20th, in Ensenada. To pay tribute to Flores, people plan to gather on Saturday, April 25th, for a peaceful march through downtown Ensenada to demand justice.
