María Susana Flores Gámez had been crowned in beauty pageants since childhood. She held the title of Mujer Sinaloa, represented Mexico in an international contest in China, and—years later—her name became linked to that of Iván Gastélum Cruz, alias “El Cholo Iván,” a leader of gunmen and personal bodyguard to Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
But in the early hours of November 24, 2012, the beauty queen from Guamúchil was not wearing a crown. She was hiding in an abandoned house in El Palmar de Los Leal, Mocorito, while soldiers surrounded the property following a chase that had begun kilometers away.
It was 5:30 a.m. Soldiers shouted for her to come out—”Come out, you son of a bitch”—and she obeyed. According to testimonies included in the court file, she emerged with her hands raised and pleaded with them not to shoot. Minutes later, she was dead.
For nearly 14 years, the prevailing narrative was different: that the young woman had died amidst a clash between soldiers and alleged members of organized crime, and that she had even fired an AK-47 rifle. Now, court documents tell a different story, according to revelations published by the media outlet *Riodoce*.
Two Mexican Army soldiers, identified as José Manuel and Miguel Ángel, are facing proceedings for the intentional homicide of Flores Gámez. In June, the Appellate Court upheld the formal indictment against both men, concluding there was sufficient evidence to suggest their actions may have been deliberate.
