Woman found dead in car truck in Tijuana after family say she vanished on Valentine’s date with American man

Family of Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa plan protest march over police inaction at epidemic of femicides

A Mexican woman who allegedly vanished after going on a Valentine’s Day date with an American man has been found dead in the trunk of her car in Tijuana.

Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa, 25, was reported missing on 14 February after going to meet the mystery man at a beachside bar, her family say.

Three days later, her lifeless body was found lying in the foetal position in the back of her white Jeep Liberty in the north of the city.

Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa was found dead in her car in Tijuana three days after going on a Valentine’s Day date (Facebook)

According to a forensics report, Ms Martínez had suffered multiple blows to her face and head.

Her family told police it was her second date with the man, who they understood was a United States citizen.

Her brother Francisco Martinez told Jornada BC the family had reported Ms Martinez missing on the day of her disappearance and provided authorities with the address of the hotel where she had gone.

But it took more than a day before they declared her a missing person, which is standard police policy in Mexico.

Mr Martinez paid tribute to his sister, who was the youngest of seven siblings and had just completed an undergraduate degree in international business.

“My sister was very peaceful, smiley, she was a good person and didn’t have any problems with anybody.”

Tijuana, like much of Mexico, has been plagued by an epidemic of violence against women in recent years.

According to local news outlet SinEmbargo, 25 femicides been recorded in the border city already in 2022.

A 2021 Amnesty International report found that investigations by Mexican law enforcement into femicides were “seriously flawed due to the inaction and negligence of the authorities leading to evidence being lost, all lines of inquiry not being investigated, and a gender perspective not being applied correctly”.

Mr Martinez told El Sol de Tijuana that the distraught family had received no updates on the investigation from the police, and were organising a protest march in the city next month so that her death does not become forgotten.

“We demonstrate so that my sister’s case does not go unpunished, so that the authorities speed up the investigation.”