A Mexican woman has been found dead in her car after meeting an “American man” for a Valentine’s Day date.

Elizabeth Martinez Cigarroa, 25, was found naked and curled up in her car’s trunk in Tijuana, Mexico.

Her family reported she had gone to a beachside hotel to meet a mystery “American man” on February 14.

After she was reported missing, her white Jeep Liberty was located three days later.

She was found naked in the fetal position with obvious signs of violence, local police reported. She was later identified by relatives.

Martinez Cigarroa is the 24th woman in the Mexican border city to be murdered this year, in a region notorious for brutality against women.

Her brother, Francisco, expressed his frustration at police only launching a search party 24 hours after she went missing, in line with Mexican policy.

He told Jornada BC that following a spate of femicides, there could be more victims out there.

But he paid tribute to his sister, saying: “My sister was very peaceful, smiley, she was a good person and didn’t have any problems with anybody.”

She had just finished a degree in international business.

Another family member confirmed the tragedy on Facebook, saying: “Just to inform you that my sister has been found, unfortunately she was found dead.

“I thank all those who shared the message and who showed their concern. Thank you for your support.”

The State Attorney General’s Office is reportedly investigating the case, but no further details have been released.

The shocking death comes after actress Tania Mendoza, 42, was gunned down while picking up her 11-year-old son from football training.

A scathing report from human rights movement Amnesty International revealed the terrifying scale of the femicide epidemic in Mexico — and the disturbing lack of interest from cops to prevent or solve the executions.

There has also been a worrying rise in the number of women vanishing from the streets of Mexico, which suggests the number of killings is even higher.

Femicide, the gender-based killing of women, has been rife in Mexico for decades. Most notorious was a wave of murders when 400 women were killed in another border city, Ciudad Juárez, in the 1990s. 

This story originally appeared on the Sun and was reproduced here with permission.