Transgender Woman Found Dead in Cancún Hotel Room, Investigation Underway

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Authorities are investigating the murder of a transgender woman found dead in a hotel room in central Cancún on Thursday, with officials confirming the case will be handled with a gender-perspective approach.

The victim was discovered in room 7 of Hotel Cedro, located on Calle Cedro near Avenida Tulum in Supermanzana 23, after hotel staff reported around 2 p.m. that a guest had locked themselves inside and wasn’t responding to calls.

When Cancún police officers arrived with firefighters, they found the room door blocked with a bed base. Inside, they discovered the body covered in blood-soaked sheets. Red Cross paramedics confirmed the victim had been fatally slashed in the neck.

Unofficial reports indicate the neck wound was so severe it nearly decapitated the victim, causing death within seconds, possibly during a struggle with the attacker. The motive remains unknown.

Authorities identified the victim through documents found among her belongings but have withheld her name pending notification of family members. The body remains at the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo).

Investigators confirmed two people rented the room: the transgender woman and a man who left Thursday morning, telling hotel staff his companion was still sleeping. The man, now the primary suspect, has not been located.

The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Femicide has requested surveillance footage from the hotel and nearby businesses. The Citizen Security Department is also analyzing images from C5 surveillance cameras along Avenida Tulum and around Market 23.