Nicole Pardo Molina, a 20-year-old social media influencer, was kidnapped in broad daylight Tuesday outside a shopping mall in Culiacán, Mexico, according to surveillance footage and authorities. The video shows three armed men in a white Toyota Corolla confronting Molina as she attempted to exit her distinctive lilac Tesla Cybertruck around 5 p.m. on Tachiquilte Avenue.
In the footage, Molina appears to resist the abduction, trying to shut the Corolla’s rear door and move back toward her truck. After a brief struggle, two of the men force her into the back seat while a third drives off, leaving her Cybertruck abandoned at the scene.
The State Attorney General’s Office issued a missing person alert for Molina, describing her as 5’3″ tall with straight light brown hair and large coffee-colored eyes. She was last seen wearing a purple top and black trousers. Authorities have not publicly released further details about her condition, whereabouts, or announced any arrests in the case.
Known online as “La Nicholette,” Molina has built a substantial following with 168,000 Instagram followers and 119,000 TikTok fans, sharing lifestyle content and dance videos. The U.S.-born influencer frequently travels between Culiacán and Phoenix, Arizona, where her parents live, according to El País reporting.
Molina first gained recognition in Mexico’s social media landscape after commissioning a traditional corrido ballad for her 16th birthday in 2020. The song, “La Muchacha del Salado,” performed by Grupo Arriesgado, has accumulated over 27 million views on YouTube and helped establish her presence in regional entertainment circles.
Her visibility extended beyond social media, as she reportedly owned a jewelry business and a hat-and-clothing shop located in the same shopping plaza where the kidnapping occurred. She was also widely recognized for driving the distinctive lilac Cybertruck, which made her easily identifiable.
Some older social media posts referenced “the man with the hat,” a nickname associated with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of a Sinaloa Cartel faction. However, there are no confirmed links between Molina and any criminal organization.
Her kidnapping occurs amid a broader pattern of violence targeting social media influencers in Sinaloa state, where official figures show 398 women were reported missing or kidnapped in 2024. The kidnapping of social media influencers has become an increasingly concerning trend in Mexico, particularly in states with significant cartel presence. In recent years, several content creators have been targeted, including cases where influencers were abducted after displaying wealth or luxury items on social media platforms, making them potential targets for criminal organizations.
Sinaloa state, where Culiacán is located, has experienced heightened violence and instability following internal conflicts within the Sinaloa Cartel structure. The region has seen increased kidnapping rates and security incidents since mid-2024, prompting authorities to enhance protection measures for high-profile individuals and issue warnings about displaying wealth publicly on social media.
