An investigation is underway after a 28-year-old former beauty queen was found dead inside a man’s home.
Karina Vázquez Sánchez was discovered at a property last Thursday morning (15 October).
Paramedics observed rigor mortis and confirmed she had no vital signs.
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They had been called by a man named Armando, 34, who said he tried to wake Karina, but she did not respond and had vomit in her mouth.
According to his account, the pair had spent the evening drinking with a mutual friend in Jesús Tepactepec, Mexico, before going to his home because Karina did not want to return to her own house while drunk, following previous family problems.
A preliminary assessment reportedly suggested aspiration of stomach contents into the lungs as a possible cause of death.
However, Karina’s family says the post-mortem ruled this out, along with alcohol poisoning, as reported by Need To Know.
The exact findings have not been publicly disclosed.
Her relatives have demanded that her death be investigated as a suspected femicide, and prosecutors have confirmed that this remains a line of inquiry.
Armando was arrested on Saturday (17 October) after officers allegedly discovered narcotics, a long-barrelled firearm reserved for the exclusive use of the armed forces and several rounds of ammunition during a search of the property.
However, authorities confirmed on Tuesday (20 October) that he had been released following intervention by his defence lawyer.
His release does not mean he has been cleared of wrongdoing, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Karina, who was originally from Chiautempan, was a qualified lawyer who ran her own firm, offering advice on civil, family, commercial, criminal and employment law.
She won the Señorita Tlaxcala Costumbres y Tradiciones beauty pageant in 2019, having been crowned Reina de las Fiestas Patrias de Chiautempan the previous year.
Armando claims he had known Karina for 10 years after meeting her at law school and that they had been in a relationship for around two and a half years.
However, her family disputes this account, insisting their relationship was strictly professional.
Armando denies assaulting her.
Karina’s brother, Tadeo, wrote online: “Of all the blows I have suffered throughout my life, none compares to the loss of my sister Karina.”
He added: “Regardless of whether my sister made good or bad decisions in life, I want to make one thing clear: her death was not from natural causes.”
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