On Monday, the prosecutors confirmed the death of Maria Susana Flores, the 22-year-old Mexican beauty queen; they said Maria died on Saturday during a gun-battle, along with another woman and 2 men. The authorities alleged that the ‘Woman of Sinaloa 2012’ was part of a criminal gang and added she may have even fired shots during Saturday’s violence, using an AK-47 gun. Among the dead, one man was identified as Maria’s boyfriend.
According to the details, the prosecutors said Monday that Maria Susana Flores was killed while she rode in northwestern state of Sinaloa along with her gang members. They further alleged that the above mentioned assault rifle was later found next to the 22-year-old beauty queen’s body, inside a car belonging to the gang.
Giving details about the incident, Marco Antonio Higuera Gomez said during a news conference that the shootout among the army service members and the said criminal group erupted when the gang was spotted traveling through the municipality of Mocorito.
The incident left at least two women, two men and one soldier dead, said Antonio adding that Maria was also among the victims. Antonio said that according to a forensic test ‘the cause of her death was a gunshot, residue on Maria’s body’ and the woman ‘suggestively fired a weapon too.’
It is believed that one of the male victims was Maria’s boyfriend whom authorities described as a suspected hit-man, working for Orso Ivan Gastelum (the leader of a group comprising of highly wanted hit-men). Authorities strongly believe that Ivan and his men work for powerful and well-organized drug cartel in Sinaloa.
Later on, the army servicemen were able to seize at least 7 numbers AK-47 assault rifles, one 40mm-caliber riffle, nearly 1,000 cartridges, one handgun, two grenades and one grenade-launcher.
