Authorities in Mexico and the United States are searching for 20-year-old American social media influencer Nicholette Pardo Molina, known online as “La Nicholette,” who was abducted at gunpoint Tuesday morning in the Isla Musala district of Culiacán.
The abduction occurred on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, outside a shopping plaza where Molina operated her clothing boutique, La Nicholette Shop.
According to vehicle-mounted camera footage seen by NY Post, Molina was approached by three masked individuals as she exited her custom lilac-colored Tesla Cybertruck.
She attempted to resist her captors, but was struck with a firearm in the scuffle, before being forced into a white Toyota Corolla.
The assailants fled the scene, leaving Molina’s vehicle running with the driver’s side door open.
Sinaloa state authorities later located a white Toyota Corolla, matching the description of the getaway vehicle, abandoned and incinerated in the Tres Ríos district.
The use of arson to destroy forensic evidence is a common hallmark of local organised crime tactics.
The kidnapping took place amid a violent internal conflict within the Sinaloa Cartel, where rival factions, led by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and followers of “Mayito Flaco”, have been engaged in a prolonged power struggle.
This conflict has increasingly targeted “digital personalities” and business owners.
Investigators are exploring whether the kidnapping is linked to derecho de piso (extortion) demands targeting local business owners or if Molina was caught in the “propaganda war” currently being waged by cartel factions on social media.
None of these, however, has been expressly stated as the cause for her abduction.
Molina’s disappearance adds to a growing crisis in the region; Sinaloa recorded 398 female kidnappings or disappearances in 2025.
As a U.S. citizen with family ties to Phoenix, Arizona, Molina’s case has triggered the involvement of the FBI and the U.S. Consulate.
While federal Mexican authorities are coordinating with U.S. officials, no ransom demands had been made public as of Thursday.
Molina had amassed over 170,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, documenting her lifestyle and entrepreneurial ventures.
Her family has not yet released a formal statement, but supporters have launched the social media campaign #JusticiaParaNicholette to pressure authorities for her safe return.