True Crime Tuesday: Mexico Has its Own Ted Bundy Copycat Killer

 

For the average person, Ted Bundy is the name that comes to mind when discussing serial killers. For those who take a deeper interest in true crime, there are a few other names that spring to mind. Yet, Bundy is usually included among them. While it’s important to remember the past and recognize the evil capabilities of predators in our society, documenting these crimes can also inspire others to mimic or copy the previous actions of serial killers. That seems to be just what recently happened in Mexico.

Serial Killers are Difficult to Spot in Mexico

Women in Mexico Protesting Femicide

Femicide is the act of killing women specifically due to their gender and it’s something that’s a serious problem in Mexico. In fact, protests are common throughout the country due to the frequency at which young women are attacked, brutalized, and murdered. INEGI, a statistical institute in Mexico, competed a study that found 70% of Mexican women have experienced some type of assault or violence. Women reported having been assaulted as young as 15 in many instances.

This makes it difficult to recognize when one person is responsible for the violent deaths of multiple women in Mexico. In addition, many law enforcement agencies are understaffed. Corruption also runs rampant and plays a part in inhibiting police investigations.

Debanhi Escobar

For example, Debanhi Escobar’s death was initially ruled accidental. Police reported to the family that she had fallen into an abandoned water well. Upon the family’s insistence, the investigation was reopened and a new autopsy revealed that 18-year-old Debanhi has died as the result of violence.

Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa Was the Third Victim

Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa

Police were just starting to put together the similarities between two previous murder victims when the death of 25-year-old Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa caught their attention. The violence used against Ms. Cigarroa and the manner in which the killer targeted her suggested she was the victim of the same killer. Adding Elizabeth’s case to the pile forced investigators to conclude that they were looking for a serial killer.

Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa worked as a dancer in a Tijuana strip club, sharing a similar line of work with the previous victims. She told her family that she’d met a man at the club and that the pair had hit it off. When the man invited her to dinner, she accepted the offer.

Investigators reported that, much like Ted Bundy, this killer uses charm to engender trust in the women he targets. He gets to know them in the clubs where they work before inviting them out on a date. This process requires patience, guile, and planning.

The date with Ms. Cigarroa was set for Valentine’s Day, but she would not return home that evening. Elizabeth’s brother, Francisco Cigarroa, said that she seemed nervous or anxious about the date. Even so, she went through with it, accompanying the unnamed man to a Brazilian-style restaurant in Tijuana. Waiters reported serving the couple at the restaurant.

Later, Elizabeth reportedly went to a nearby shoreside hotel with the man. Although Ms. Cigarroa typically calls home to check in after a date, her appearance at the hotel was the last anyone saw or heard from her.

The body of Elizabeth Martínez Cigarroa was discovered in the bed of her own truck on February 17, 2022. She’d been badly beaten and murdered.

The Suspect Remains Unnamed and at Large

It’s believed that the suspect in the killing of Cigarroa and two other women has fled Mexico and is currently hiding in San Diego, California. It’s difficult to know whether this is true since the investigators, led by Baja California district attorney Iván Carpio Sánchez, have not released the individual’s name. The police believe releasing the individual’s name or likeness could inhibit their ability to capture him.

Sánchez has the described the suspect as being very aggressive and violent, similar in sociopathic behavior to Ted Bundy. He also compared the suspect to Bundy in the way in which he targets and lures his victims. Little else has been shared with the public.

Has the Investigation Stalled?

It seems as though the investigation has reached an impasse. After an exhaustive search, I haven’t been able to find any new information regarding this killer. It seems unlikely that investigators would continue to withhold the individual’s name and likeness when sharing this information publicly could lead to police tips.

Has this Ted Bundy copycat killer been killed by someone else? Is he living under the radar in California? Unless he starts killing again, the truth might never be known.