Authorities in Mexico City have opened a femicide investigation into the death of Carolina Flores Gómez, 27, a former beauty queen found shot inside her luxury apartment in the upscale Polanco district, with her mother-in-law identified as the primary suspect in a case that has triggered national outrage in Mexico.
Flores Gómez held the Miss Teen Universe Baja California title in 2017 and was originally from Ensenada in the northern Mexican state of Baja California. Investigators believe she was killed on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, but her body was not reported to authorities until the following day, April 16, a delay that has become central to the investigation. She was found with a gunshot wound to the head inside a high-end residential complex in Polanco, one of Mexico City’s most closely monitored and affluent neighbourhoods.
Her partner, identified as Alejandro Gómez, and his mother, Erika María, were both reportedly present in the apartment at the time of the killing. Alejandro reportedly told authorities that his mother carried out the shooting. Erika María is now the prime suspect under investigation. Local Mexican media have identified her as a candidate for elected office in the Ensenada municipality. No building staff reported hearing gunshots or any unusual activity at the residential complex, adding further uncertainty to an already complex scene.
The couple’s eight-month-old son was also reportedly in the apartment when the incident occurred. Carolina’s mother, Reyna Gómez Molina, told Mexican broadcaster Univision she was informed of her daughter’s death by Alejandro in a phone call in which he stated that his mother had shot her. Gómez Molina publicly questioned how her daughter could have remained on the floor of the apartment for so long while her partner and infant were present.
The Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation in coordination with Baja California state authorities. No arrests have been made.
Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda called for full accountability. “No crime against a woman should go unpunished,” the governor told reporters, extending condolences to the victim’s family. State prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez confirmed that Baja California authorities are actively supporting the Mexico City-led inquiry.
The case has sparked protests in Ensenada and widespread calls on social media for justice, renewing scrutiny of how femicide cases involving family members are handled in Mexico.
