Internet star abducted after moving from Arizona to Mexico to sell drug cartel merchandise is found SAFE
The OnlyFans model who was abducted at gunpoint in front of a mall after moving from Arizona to Mexico to allegedly sell cartel merchandise has been found safe.
Nicole ‘La Nicholette’ Pardo Molina, 20, was hurled into the spotlight last week after a video of her being snatched from her purple Tesla Cybertruck in front of a shopping center in Culiacán, the capital city of Sinaloa, Mexico, went viral.
She had allegedly been selling merchandise bearing the image of drug cartel leader Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán – among other notorious cartel leaders – before she disappeared.
Dramatic footage captured by her unmistakable Cybertruck showed Molina stepping out of the vehicle after it had been disabled by tire spikes.
When she stepped out, a gun-bearing man concealing his face with a black and red sweater jumped out of the backseat of a white Toyota Corolla and grabbed her.
The gunman and the driver of the Corolla then pushed her into the car’s backseat before speeding off.
On Thursday, Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said that the vehicle involved in Molina’s kidnapping was being tracked and that federal authorities were alerted of the situation.
After days of confusion surrounding her whereabouts, the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Sinaloa announced on Saturday that the US dual national has been located ‘thanks to citizen collaboration.’
Nicole ‘La Nicholette’ Pardo Molina, 20, was abducted at gun point last Tuesday
The abduction was captured on video thanks to the security cameras in Molina’s Cybertruck
Molina was reportedly selling merchandise bearing the image of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán (pictured) at the time of the abduction
Molina was born in the US and apparently splits her time between Phoenix, Arizona – where her parents live – and Culiacán.
The content creator reportedly began pursuing business ventures in Mexico after dropping out of school following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to El País.
Multiple reports suggest that Molina has alleged cartel ties, although she had no links to any cartels before her kidnapping.
Investigators are probing whether the crime is related to an ongoing turf war between rival gangs.
Culiacán is considered a very dangerous area and is controlled by a rival faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, which El Chapo once led. Molina’s father is also reportedly from the region.
While she was missing, authorities warned that her safety was at risk and that she ‘could be a victim of a crime.’
According to the International Federation for Human Rights, in 2024 alone, 3,601 women were reported missing in Mexico, which was a 40 percent increase from the previous year.
In 2025, hundreds of women were kidnapped or disappeared just in Sinaloa.
Other influencers have also been victims of cartel violence in recent years, such as Valeria Marquez, a fashion model who had more than 600,000 followers on Instagram and was shot dead in May during a livestream.
Molina was named in a 2022 song called ‘La Muchacha del Salado’
Investigators believe that the shooter may have been tied to the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel based in Jalisco.
Molina flaunts her glamorous lifestyle online to her 180,000 Instagram followers and more than 145,000 on TikTok.
She is also named in the 2022 corrido song ‘La Muchacha del Salado,’ by Grupo Arriesgado.
The Daily Mail has contacted Molina via Instagram for comment.
