Following a performance in Peru, a rising star in the South American music world was slaughtered inside her tour bus before the suspects dumped her body in a ditch.

According to the Daily Mail, Alezka Thalia Manrique, 27, a mother of two, was ambushed on her tour bus by at least six gunmen while her band was returning home from a performance. 

As the ambush unfolded, the bus driver was forced outside and beaten, while Manrique, who goes by the stage name Thalia Castillo, ran to the bathroom on the bus and was shot in the leg and back as she fled.

She was a member of the Hermanos Guerreros band -- described as an up-and-coming, popular band in the area.

What happened?

One of her bandmates, Ingrid Vallejo, described the horrific scene and how it unfolded.

"My partner wanted to go into the bus bathroom in her instinct to protect herself and the moment she was there, the shot went off," Vallejo said.

Vallejo and other band members were eventually pulled off the bus and had to watch as the assailants dragged Manrique's body off of the bus before dumping it in a nearby ditch. She reportedly died on the way to the hospital, and not at the scene of the ambush.

Peru - Alezka Thalia Manrique, who performed under the name Thalia Castillo, shot on her tour bus and dumped in ditch after performancehttps://t.co/yGAJ9X4R6E

— Chris Rodgers 🦚 🇺🇸 (@rodgeau) November 6, 2024

The Daily Mail noted:

The suspects made off with instruments and money that the band was paid for the show.

Her brother, Jair Enrique, told RPP radio on Monday that Peru National Police have identified the suspects and were waiting for the approval of an arrest warrant to capture them.

"Thalia was a person full of joy, always with a smile," Vallejo told Radio Exitosa. "Her talent and dedication to music made her special."

Social media reacts

Users across social media reacted to the tragic news, with many calling on government to intervene and crack down on such violent crime.

"Terrible news, crime attacks everyone, even singers who make people have a happy moment. I hope that there is a real fight against crime and that we do not have politicians, police, prosecutors and judges in collusion with the mafias," one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "This time, if no one escapes, how can they shoot like that? Now it's time to catch each criminal and take justice into our own hands..."

Manrique had just joined the band two months ago and was set to graduate university with a degree in business.