A ‘carnival queen’ influencer has been found dead at the bottom of a hotel swimming pool just two weeks after she was allegedly subjected to threats outside her gym.
Luz María Barrera Agatón, 36, from Mexico, had been staying with family and friends at the Coco Resort & Villas Hotel in Motul, west of Cancun, when she died on Sunday morning.
The bodybuilder had spent the evening with loved ones around the cenote-style pool before they all made their way to bed at around midnight, leaving her alone on the premises.
Concerned that a number of hours had passed without Ms Agatón’s return, the party went searching and shockingly found her body which was plunged at the pool’s depths.
Her corpse was quickly removed and paramedics tried to save her, but she was tragically already dead.
Detectives on the case say they have not ruled out the possibility of foul play.
Local reports say Ms Agatón’s death came just two weeks after a threatening banner was hung outside her gym in Merida, Yucatán.
She is said to have removed the sign herself and destroyed it without notifying the authorities.
Ms Agatón had suffered similar threats in 2017 when she and her then-partner Chiri Roberto, a former state prosecutor, were threatened.
Her gym was also the scene of a tragic death in 2023 when a barbell fell on top of a young man, reportedly caused by a trainer’s carelessness.
Investigators are looking into whether these incidents could be connected to her death.
Ms Agatón was the vice president of the Yucatecan Association of Bodybuilding and Fitness (YAFFEY), whose president Evangelina Cimé Mézquita said on Facebook: ‘Sometimes you don’t understand why things happen.
‘We’re going to miss you. your overflowing joy, your simplicity. May God comfort your entire family.’
The YAFFEY account also shared a post which read: ‘Sometimes there aren’t enough words to express how one feels.
‘See you soon my friend. I know there’s a party in heaven today.’
‘We’re going to miss you. your overflowing joy, your simplicity. God comfort your entire family. May God comfort your entire family.’
Ms Agatón owned her gym in Merida and sponsored the Bodybuilding Tournament in Motul.
She was crowned Fitness Champion at the 2017 Mister Mexico bodybuilding contest, and was named queen of the Motul Carnival just last year.
She also won the female bikini category at the Mr Olympia Amateur competition held in Spain.