Luz Raquel Padilla was burned alive after receiving death threats, now her case takes an unexpected turn

• Luz Raquel Padilla Gutiérrez was burned alive after receiving terrifying threats for months.
• Officials said that they could not grant her protection because there was no explicit culprit.
• «I’m going to burn you alive.»

Luz Raquel Padilla Gutierrez was burned alive after receiving terrifying threats for months. Now her case takes an unexpected turn. The suspect in her brutal murder, a neighbor who was accused by the victim’s friends, has surrendered to the authorities.

This case of femicide has shaken Mexico as Luz Raquel, mother of an autistic child, had already reported to the Public Ministry that she was the victim of serious attacks and threats. Tragically, little attention was paid to her situation. The official said that she could not be granted protection because she had no explicit culprit.

Luz Raquel Padilla was burned alive after receiving terrifying threats

The threats were more than evident as someone painted the violent messages on all the walls of the building where Luz Raquel Padilla lived. You are going to die, machorra. I am going to kill you, Luz. You are going to die, Luz. These phrases were scrawled on the corridors and on the stairs that led to her apartment.

Two months ago the 35-year-old woman had explained her son’s medical condition to a neighbor, who apparently had some kind of phobia of autistic people. The Public Ministry rejected her case and Luz Raquel also reported the threats to the Zapopan Mayor’s Office, but they denied her the Pulse of Life, a protection system against family violence.

What happened?

Luz Raquel was abandoned to her fate. The State Prosecutor’s Office also did not adequately follow up on her complaint and said that the folder was in the hands of a judge. The judge did nothing to help the woman, according to the Reforma agency.

I’m going to burn you alive was the most violent of the threats that were written on the walls of her building. On Saturday, Luz Raquel was attacked by one or more people who sprayed her with a flammable substance and set her on fire. The woman fought for her life, but finally on Tuesday, she passed away.

About the suspect

Friends of Luz Raquel pointed to Sergio N, alias El Nutria, as the person allegedly responsible for the threats and the brutal murder of this Mexican mother. On Wednesday, the victim’s neighbor turned himself in to the Zapopan Police, who took him to the State Justice Prosecutor’s Office, according to Azteca Noticias.

Prosecutor Luis Joaquín Méndez confirmed that the neighbor who had been identified in the investigation is meeting with the authorities and that they were taking his testimony. They also confirmed that the man already has a history of complaints of aggressive behavior.

Another case of femicide in Mexico

Now, Juan Manuel Frangie, mayor of Zapopan, assured the media that in reality they had no record of Luz Raquel’s complaint and that she would have qualified «perfectly well» to receive assistance from the Pulse of Life system, Reforma said. It’s too late for that.

Luz Raquel’s case was sensitive. The Mexican mother suffered from violence at the hands of her ex-partner and from neighbors who were annoyed by her son’s screaming. The women’s protection group «Me Cuidan Mis Amigas» called for justice and accused the Mexican authorities of negligence.