Influencer, aged 22, shot dead outside her own home by attacker who was pretending to be a delivery driver

Maria Jose Estupinan Sanchez, who was also a model and was better known as La Mona to her social media followers, was fatally shot outside her home in Cucuta, Colombia, earlier this month.

The star was at home in the La Riviera neighbourhood when a man posing as a delivery man approached her with a fake present and shot her from close range, as reported by local media outlet Noticias Caracol.

A security camera installed in the neighbourhood also reportedly captured the moment the suspect ran away from Sanchez's home after shooting her, loud cries for help can he heard. Those cries reportedly came from Sanchez’s mum who was also home at the time of the incident and witnessed the crime.

Sanchez was rushed to the hospital soon after the incident but died of her injuries a short time later. The incident happened around 1pm local time (around 6pm UK time) on Thursday May 15, according to police.

"She was killed by a man who pretended to be delivering a package," Colonel Leonardo Capacho of Cucuta's Metropolitan Police said.

According to witnesses, when the attacker arrived at her home he pretended to hand over a package to the star when she opened the door to her home, but actually pulled out a gun and shot her in the face and chest and point-blank range.

The attack on the influencer came a day after she reportedly won a domestic abuse case against her ex-boyfriend, securing a payout of 30 million Colombian Peso (around £5,000 or $7,000), local media reports said. Authorities are now questioning the ex-boyfriend, who has not been named, as a key suspect as they believe the courtroom win might have any connection to her murder, per a report by Canal TRO.

No arrests have been confirmed so far, however. Police are continuing to work to identify the prime suspect seen in security footage, who was wearing a black cap a jacket, jeans, and carrying a backpack. The investigation continues.

Sanchez, who was a seventh-semester student studying Social Communication at the University of Pamplona, frequently posted about her life as a model and a student on social media. She had many followers as a result. It has been reported in local media that she had hoped to became a TV presenter.

The attack on Sanchez came days after Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez was fatally shot during a live stream. The TikTokker was said to have been targeted by a man posing as a delivery driver too. Her murder is also being investigated.