Little did Hugo Castellanos know that few hours after crowning Miss Sinaloa, he would be shot dead in a targeted attack. Castellanos was found dead in carjacked Charokee jeep along with a friend who was rescued alive. The Director of the Miss World Mexico beauty pageant was 39 and a former model. He was the owner of a well-known modeling agency in Mexico.
Castellanos was celebrating with the organizers of the pageant at a bar. He and his friend were abducted by masked gunmen who had put a roadblock near that bar. Shortly after being abducted he was shot dead in the early hours of Sunday morning. The attack took place in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa. According to the authorities, the attack was planned as a lot of cash and other important documents were found at the crime scene. The beauty pageants in Mexico have had a long association with the underworld. Sinaloa has been infamous for drug traffickers. It is believed that the mafia bribes and pressures the pageants to award titles to their girlfriends/lovers.
Many murder cases of beauty queens and people associated with these pageants have been reported over the past few years. In 2012, Maria Susana Flores Gamez was found shot dead on the side of a road in Sinaloa. In 2007, Guzmán, leader of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, married an 18 years old beauty queen Emma Coronel.
Castellanos’ death so far has been linked to organized crime, though the police confirmed that they are keeping their lines of enquiry open.