Friends and family of Carolina Flores Gómez unveiled a memorial mural on May 9 at the corner of Calle Segunda and Avenida Riveroll in downtown Ensenada. The 4-by-3-meter artwork, painted by muralist Juan Pablo Melchum Alba (known as “Noche”), combines a portrait of Flores with floral imagery on a wall belonging to the Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Ensenada (CESPE), the state public utilities commission.
Flores, a former Miss Teen Universe Baja California 2017, was shot and killed on April 15 at age 27 in a Polanco apartment in Mexico City. She was living there with her boyfriend Alejandro and their eight-month-old baby. Mexico City prosecutors classified the killing as a femicide, citing previous family disputes between Flores and her mother-in-law, Erika María Guadalupe Herrera, 63.
Suspect in Venezuelan Custody Awaiting Extradition
Herrera, a former political candidate who ran for a council seat in Ensenada in 2016 under the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), fled Mexico after the killing. She is currently held by Venezuelan authorities while extradition proceedings to Mexico move forward, according to Mexico City prosecutors.
Security video from the apartment captured the fatal encounter, and its release became a turning point in the investigation. The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office (FGJCDMX) had issued an immigration alert for Herrera across Mexico before she was located abroad.
Community Mourning and Demand for Justice
The mural unveiling followed a peaceful march through downtown Ensenada in late April. Residents, friends, and family walked through the city’s streets demanding accountability. Flores’ funeral had been held on April 20 in Ensenada, where she was widely known for supporting local tourism projects as a model.
At the unveiling ceremony, Flores’ mother, Reyna Gómez Molina, read a message describing the mural as “a window to the essence of Carolina” and a way to ensure her daughter’s presence endures. She said the urban art serves “to heal” and will keep her daughter’s name part of the city she loved.
The artist, Melchum Alba, acknowledged the emotional weight of the project, calling it one of his most difficult works because the situation “is still alive, still present in the thoughts of the Ensenada community.”
Flores was born on April 4, 1999, in Ensenada. She won her pageant title at 17 and went on to represent Baja California in national competitions. The mural now stands as a permanent memorial in one of Ensenada’s busiest downtown intersections, two blocks from the tourist corridor along Calle Primera.
Originally reported by La Jornada Baja California and Proceso.