Ingrid Escamilla Murder: Hundreds of Mexican Women Protest 'Femicide State'

Hundreds of demonstrators have demanded action from the Mexican government after the grisly killing of 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla in Mexico City.

Protesters chanted "not one more murder" and carried signs saying "we demand responsible journalism" as well as "Ingrid we are all you" and "sexism kills".

Escamilla was found dead by officers at an apartment just north of the city center last weekend, her body skinned and part of her corpse flushed down a sewer.

Her boyfriend has been arrested in connection with her murder. Gruesome pictures of her body were published by some Mexican newspapers, a move that sparked further anger. 

Demonstrators daubed the words “femicide state” in blood-red on Mexico’s presidential palace, before marching in heavy rain to the offices of newspaper La Prensa to protest against the recent publication of a gruesome image of a murder victim.

Officials say they are investigating police officers thought to have taken the photos with their mobile phones before leaking them to newspapers.

The United Mexican Journalists collective said that the publication of the photos showed "total lack of respect for the victim, the accused, due process and society." 

"The message they sent to society was that they are entrepreneurs and their content is a mere commodity...It is a very dark moment for the Mexican press."

In a statement, the protesters said: "It enrages us how Ingrid was killed, and how the media put her body on display. It enrages us that the public judges us, saying 'this isn't the right way to express your rage.' We are not mad, we are furious."

Inside the presidential palace, the president told reporters: "I'm not burying my head in the sand... The government I represent will always take care of ensuring the safety of women." 

He did not give further details of how he would do this. 

Last year 3,825 women were murdered in Mexico, an increase of 7% from 2018, according to official figures.