A woman suspected of murdering an eight-year-old girl in southern Mexico met a grim fate as she was beaten to death by an enraged mob, incited by the shocking killing.

Violent protests erupted following the discovery of Camila Gómez’s body near Taxco on Thursday. Footage circulating on social media depicted police standing by as a woman, believed by locals to be the perpetrator, was viciously attacked in broad daylight. Two men suspected of involvement also faced assaults but survived.

Camila vanished on Wednesday after visiting a neighbor’s home to use their swimming pool. Her mother, alarmed by ransom demands received a few hours later, promptly alerted the police. Despite providing security camera footage from another neighbor’s house and pinpointing the location where Camila was held, her pleas for action were purportedly disregarded by law enforcement.

The grim discovery of Camila’s body on Thursday prompted local authorities to launch an investigation into a woman and two men for aggravated homicide.

In a display of collective anguish and demand for justice, Camila’s relatives and Taxco residents took to the streets, denouncing the police’s inaction. The outrage reverberated across Mexico, a nation grappling with alarming rates of violence against women.

Angered Taxco residents vented their fury by flipping cars, blocking roads, and confronting three individuals suspected of involvement in the girl’s death. Social media footage captured the lynching, with the police seemingly powerless to intervene and attempting to disperse the mob.

Authorities are categorizing the woman’s death at the hands of the crowd as qualified homicide, according to reports from the news. Meanwhile, one man has been formally arrested in connection with Camila’s tragic demise, as confirmed by a statement on the Guerrero state prosecutor’s website.

In a somber procession through Taxco’s streets, mourners clad in white bid farewell to Camila during her funeral on Friday, as reported by El Universal. The grief-stricken scene unfolded in the small city, nestled 170km (105 miles) south of Mexico City, within the crime-ridden state of Guerrero.

Mexico has witnessed previous instances of vigilante justice, particularly against those suspected of harming children. In June 2022, a mob lynched a politician amidst accusations of child kidnapping, fueled by online rumors. Similarly, in November 2018, a shop owner in Puebla State fell victim to a fatal mob attack following the circulation of similar rumors via WhatsApp.