In a horrible turn of events, a prominent Mexican YouTuber has been found dead, having been bound, gagged, and tortured after being reported missing.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Miguel Vivanco, was only 29 years old when his parents reported his kidnapping. The cartel members broke into their family home, in the Quilá area of Sinaloa on November 21st, and took him away. His family reported him missing, and he had not been seen since.
However, in the early hours of November 23rd, the YouTuber was found, dead, and wrapped in a sheet. His family uncovered his body to find it had been shot over 70 times, and tortured. His eyes were covered in green tape, and the wounds were those common to cartel torture in the area.
The horrific torture and death of the YouTuber affected his friends and family deeply. In an Instagram post, fellow YouTuber and friend Cristo Rich posted "Brother I will love you all my life with all my heart. You took a part of me with you. I know we will see each other again brother. I hope we will always be together like we always were just us. You are the best brother I could have had of that there is no doubt, always helping me. You were a very special person to me. No one can ever replace you. I will love you all my life brother and I will miss you like you have no idea, only you and I know brother."
YouTuber Possibly Had Ties To Cartel Before He Died
Why the cartel would be interested in a low-key YouTuber seems odd. Usually, they will keep their business to themselves, but in this case, they target a specific person. However, it may not be completely without cause.
Markitos Toys, another YouTuber with over 4 million followers, is a co-creator with Miguel Vivanco. Recently, he has been wrapped up in some rather suspicious cartel activity. He was recently accused of being the financial operator of the Sinaloa drug cartel. However, he laid these rumors to rest with an Instagram post.
Despite denying his involvement, it does seem suspicious that one of his YouTuber friends has not turned up dead, and tortured by cartel members. The reasons are still unclear, and the police are yet to release a full statement.
