A taxi driver from Tulum is under arrest after prosecutors tied him to a young woman’s killing near the Kaan Luum lagoon on October 5. Investigators say he drove three men who forced the victim into his cab, then headed toward the cenote road where she was shot. Officials now point to an internal score-settling motive and are hunting the other suspects. This case lands in a tense season for Tulum’s taxi sector and public safety—and residents are watching to see if this arrest leads to more names and fewer excuses.
The taxi driver arrested in Tulum this Monday is accused of helping a group of men abduct a young woman from a downtown bar, drive her toward the Kaan Luum area, and leave her shot dead by the roadside on October 5. Prosecutors say he is Martín Félix “N”, 37, originally from Yucatán, and a member of the local taxi union. He was taken into custody while driving a Suzuki taxi; officers reported finding marijuana and “crystal” in the vehicle. Presumption of innocence applies.
Tulum murder arrest
State prosecutor Raciel López Salazar outlined the state’s version: the driver waited outside a bar as three men forced the woman into his cab. The group then headed south toward the Felipe Carrillo Puerto road and stopped near the entrance to a cenote, where the victim was shot four times with a 9mm handgun before the men rode back to Tulum and got out near the bus terminal. Investigators say the motive points to an internal dispute in a local dealing network.
The woman—identified by multiple outlets as Dulce Dalay “N”—was found the next morning along Federal Highway 307, close to the Kaan Luum lagoon turnoff. Early reports described a gunshot wound to the head and visible signs of violence; the case was opened as a homicide. Coverage at the time placed the crime scene at the highway edge near the cenote entrance, consistent with Monday’s prosecutorial narrative.
Age reporting has varied across outlets—one brief cited 20, others 18—but all agree on the location and sequence: a bar pickup, a taxi ride south, and a killing near Kaan Luum. Authorities have not publicly released her complete identity; the media are using initials under Mexico’s rules. Three additional suspects remain at large, according to the prosecution’s account.
Prosecutors said the taxi belongs to the Tiburones del Caribe union and that the victim was taken from Bar “Los Cantaritos,” an establishment raided by investigators last week as part of this case. In that operation, police searched the premises after security footage allegedly showed the woman being forced into a taxi there. The union’s leadership has since said it will cooperate with any lawful inquiries into members.
The arrest lands in a tense moment for Tulum’s public security. In March, gunmen killed the town’s security secretary, a brazen attack that underlined how quickly violence can bleed into the tourist zone. The municipality has also faced scrutiny over taxi-related violence and the sector’s vulnerability to criminal capture. Monday’s arrest will test whether the state can move beyond forensics and headlines to deliver charges that stick.
Why this case matters in Tulum
Tulum’s appeal rests on easy days and safe nights. When a woman is snatched from a bar, driven in a taxi, and killed on a road tourists use to reach a turquoise lagoon, it rattles locals and visitors alike. Prosecutors now allege the driver was not a bystander but part of the logistics. If they’re right, the case cuts into the taxi sector’s image and raises the stakes for any cleanup inside the union ranks. Officials say more arrests are coming.
For now, Martín Félix “N” is in preventive detention while the judge reviews the case file and the state builds out its timeline with ballistics, camera pulls, and witness work. The bar search suggests investigators are confident about the route. But confidence isn’t conviction. The objective measure will be whether the state brings the other suspects in, maintains the chain of custody, and secures a verdict that answers the family’s first question: why her, and why there.
