PREGNANT PHOTOGRAPHER FERNANDA GASTÉLUM KILLED IN LOS MOCHIS ATTACK — HER BABY ALSO DIES AFTER EMERGENCY SURGERY

LOS MOCHIS, SINALOA — A 31-year-old teacher and photographer who was eagerly preparing to become a mother was killed in a targeted shooting in Los Mochis, Mexico, while she was around seven to eight months pregnant.

Her unborn baby also died despite doctors’ efforts to save the child during an emergency procedure.

María Fernanda Gastélum Osorio was attacked on the morning of September 28, 2026, in the Ampliación 12 de Octubre neighborhood of Los Mochis, in the municipality of Ahome, Sinaloa.

According to the Sinaloa State Prosecutor’s Office, the case is being investigated under the feminicide protocol. Authorities said the attack appeared to have been directed specifically at Fernanda.

A LIFE FILLED WITH PLANS FOR HER FIRST BABY

Fernanda was a trained elementary school teacher, but photography had become one of her greatest passions.

She was working as a photographer and developing plans for her own professional photography project. Reports said the location where she was attacked was connected to her photography work and was being prepared as a studio.

At the same time, Fernanda and her husband were preparing for the arrival of their first child.

She had shared moments from her pregnancy with family and friends on social media, including photographs celebrating the upcoming arrival of her baby.

Just days before the attack, her online posts reflected the life she was building with her husband and the excitement surrounding her pregnancy.

ATTACKED IN LOS MOCHIS

The shooting happened at approximately 9:30 a.m. on September 28.

According to authorities, a man entered the property where Fernanda was working and opened fire before fleeing.

The state prosecutor, Claudia Zulema Sánchez Kondo, later said Fernanda suffered five gunshot wounds — three to the head, one to the chest and one to an arm.

Fernanda’s husband helped her after the attack and took her by private vehicle to a hospital in central Los Mochis.

Because of the severity of her injuries and her advanced pregnancy, doctors attempted emergency treatment to save both mother and baby.

They performed an emergency cesarean section.

Sadly, neither survived.

INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR THE ATTACKER

Authorities immediately began collecting evidence at the scene and reviewing surveillance footage from nearby properties.

The Sinaloa prosecutor’s office said investigators had access to videos and photographs related to the case and had identified a vehicle believed to be connected to the suspected attacker.

As of the latest reports, no arrest had been publicly announced.

The prosecutor said investigators were initially examining a possible personal motive as one line of inquiry. That remains an investigative hypothesis and has not been established as the definitive motive for the attack.

The investigation continues as authorities work to identify the person responsible.

HER FINAL DREAMS

Fernanda’s death has left relatives, friends and members of the Los Mochis community mourning a woman whose life was centered around both her work and the family she was preparing to build.

She had trained as a teacher and found another professional calling through photography.

But in recent months, becoming a mother had become one of the most important chapters of her life.

Her family had been preparing to welcome the baby she had been waiting for.

Instead, Fernanda died before she could hold her child.

Her baby also did not survive.

HER LAST PUBLIC MESSAGE

Following her death, one of Fernanda’s previous social media posts received renewed attention.

In an August 2025 birthday message to her husband, she had written about being grateful for his life and for having him beside her.

The post was later shared again by people mourning her death, becoming a painful reminder of the life and relationship she had built before the tragedy.

Family members, friends and community members have called for justice and for the circumstances surrounding the attack to be fully investigated.

Fernanda was remembered not only as a woman who was about to become a mother, but also as a teacher, photographer, wife and daughter whose future was suddenly taken away.

A young woman who was preparing to welcome her first child now leaves behind photographs, memories and a family waiting for answers.

Fernanda Gastélum was 31. Her baby was still waiting to be born. Neither of them survived the attack.

May Fernanda and her baby rest in peace. 🕊️