The Discovery of a Femicide on Day of the Dead – The Case of Ariadna Fernanda

• On the Day of the Dead, a femicide that would enrage the Mexican people was discovered.
• On Ariadna Fernanda case her body was found by men on an excursion.
• The society cried out for justice for this woman and punishment for her killers

On October 31st, the Day of the Dead in Mexico, an event was triggered that would shock the country and provoke a series of protests. Two friends, Ricardo Calderón and his companion, embarked on a bicycle trip from Mexico City to Tepoztlán, but their ride turned into a tragedy when they discovered the body of a dead woman, Ariadna Fernanda López, under a bridge, near the road.

Ariadna Fernanda was a young woman of 27, from a working-class neighborhood in Mexico City, and a single mother of a small child. After her mother’s death, López faced economic difficulties, but she worked hard and dreamed of providing a better life for her son. Listen to the latest broadcast of «Pasión que Mata» by clicking here.

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To do this, she had started working in a sports bar in the affluent Condesa neighborhood. There, she met Raúl Astudillo, a wealthy and egocentric man who frequented the place. Although Ariadna maintained a relationship with Raúl, he was also involved with another waitress from the bar, Vanesa Flores.

The night of Ariadna’s disappearance, she had gone out to celebrate with Raúl and Vanesa, but she did not return home and stopped answering messages and calls. Worried, López friends started searching and later found her lifeless body. The autopsy results revealed injuries and cranial trauma, disproving the initial version of alcohol poisoning as the cause of death.

The Disappearance and Tragic Death of Ariadna Fernanda

Investigations pointed to Raúl and Vanesa as the main suspects in Ariadna’s murder. Messages and calls were discovered that demonstrated their involvement in the event. Desperate, they tried to hide evidence and offer a false version of events, but the pressure from the family, friends, and society in general, clamoring for justice, led to the capture of the alleged killers.

Protests and rallies to demand justice for López multiplied in Mexico. Society rejected impunity and violence against women. The evidence piled up, and the General Prosecutor’s Office of Morelos was linked to Raúl Astudillo, who had powerful connections that seemed to interfere with the investigation.

Femicide in Mexico: Investigations into Ariadna’s Case

Finally, both Raúl and Vanesa were taken into preventive prison. The case of Ariadna Fernanda López became an emblem of the fight against femicide in Mexico and mobilized public opinion in search of justice and protection for women.

López’s family continues to clamor for the truth and demands that victims of femicide are not blamed, belittled, or covered up. Ariadna’s case became a symbol of the obsession and gender violence that still prevails in society, and her memory remains alive in the struggle for a more just and safe Mexico for all women.