15-year-old TikTok streamer found dead in trash bags after being kidnapped from soccer pitch
Warning: This article contains details readers may find upsetting
TikTok star Pedro Alexander Díaz Franco has been found dead after being kidnapped from a soccer field on Sunday, July 5, with law enforcement finding the body in trash bags on a highway the next day.
15-year-old Franco was, as per Dexerto, approach by hooded men that are suspected to be part of a gang while at a soccer field in the Camp Nevada area of Choloma, Cortés in Honduras, with the figures appearing to carry large-caliber weapons.
Local police have not made any arrests as of yet, and have disclosed no motive for Franco's kidnapping and subsequent death as the investigation remains ongoing.
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Following the kidnapping, which occurred at roughly 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, Franco's family issued a plea for information and assistance in finding the TikTok star, yet his death was discovered the following morning after a black trash bag containing a body that was initially unidentified was found on the CA-13 highway in La Lima, Cortés.
As Franco's has no form of identification on his body when the trash bags were discovered, law enforcement were initially unable to confirm that it was indeed the 15-year-old.
However, with assistance from his family and further medical investigation they were able to discover details such as a surgical scar and metal pins in one of his legs that concretely identified the body as Pedro Alexander Díaz Franco.
Many have offered their condolences to the family and those close to Franco on social media, including several fellow TikTokers who had built a friendship with the teenager on the platform.
Others have also questioned the actions of law enforcement in dealing with instances like this, especially due to Franco's high-profile nature online as he possessed a significant following.
One of his more frequent collaborators on the platform, Paty Burgos, shared a photo of her with Franco with the caption 'Por qué te fuiste', translating to 'Why are you gone?'.
Some have also used the opportunity to point of the risks of exposing yourself on social media, expressing what they believe to be the risks of exposing yourself online in relation to cases like this.
"It's scary to put your face out there nowadays," wrote one user on X in response to Franco's death. "Idk why people keep risking it."
Another questioned people who claim "being a streamer ain't that dangerous of a profession," although law enforcement haven't outlined that Franco's status online and on TikTok has any connection to his death or the motive of the kidnappers.