On Sunday, January 23rd, 2022, Tijuana journalist Lourdes Maldonado was murdered shot fatally in her car. The journalist had previously expressed to Mexico’s President on live TV that she feared for her life. Sadly, her fears materialized into this horrible outcome.
Adding fuel to the heartbreak fire, a Redditor posted a photo of Maldonado’s dog in the front yard of their home the next day, wondering where his mom could be. As dogs often do, the pup decided to stay put, evidently hoping she’d come back.
Since then, the post has been “upvoted” over 98,000 times and shared across social media platforms. A matter-of-fact caption reads:
“Mexican journalist Lourdes Maldonado was murdered yesterday. Her dog is still waiting for her today.”
Hearts Break For Maldonado And Her Dog
In addition to the photo that went viral on Reddit, a tweet shows a 20-second video of the dog still in front of the house. Behind yellow caution tape, the dog lies just outside of his home, occasionally lifting its head to look around.
Reacting to the heartbreaking media online, no one can decide what’s worse for this dog: knowing his mom is gone forever or not knowing and just waiting for her return.
“The poor dog doesn’t even know its world has just been devastated yet…”- u/Ratsonlean via Reddit
“I think that’s it more than anything. That dog will wait and wait and wait, given the opportunity. I hate it.” – u/OneFreamon via Reddit
Another Redditor summed up the way most have been feeling:
“There isn’t a single detail in this story that isn’t heartbreaking.” – u/NotoriousMOT
Who Will Look After The Dog?
Concerned people are also hoping this orphaned dog will be taken care of. On Twitter, a neighbor indicated that she and others have already begun working with authorities to take care of the dog and the four street cats Maldonado rescued.
Police would not allow anyone else to enter the home, a crime scene, to retrieve all of the animals. Still, another photo shared on Twitter shows a neighbor girl leaving out some food for the animals just after Maldonado’s murder.
At the very least, it’s a silver lining to see the journalist’s neighbors honor her love of animals and care for the ones left behind. They’re not forgotten, and neither will Maldonado be.
The circumstances surrounding the journalist and animal-lover’s murder are complex and concerning. You can learn more about her in this article.
