In a shocking incident a popular actress waiting to pickup her 11 year old son was shot dead at point blank range by two unknown assailants. Investigations have begun but even after two days there has been no headway in the case.

Actress Tania Mendoza aged 42 was a popular film actress famous for her leading role in the super hit movie 'La Mera Reyna del Sur'. She has since acted in a few more films and several television series and is a household name in Mexico.

In recent years she had cut down on acting and concentrated on her singing and has released five successful albums. On the 15th of December, the actress was waiting outside a sports complex in the city of Cuernavaca where her 11 year old son was practising.

Eye witnesses have stated that two men arrived on a speeding bike and started opening fire on the actress at point blank range and sped away. She had already died before the police and the ambulance arrived.

Eleven years ago Tania Mendoza, her husband and then six months old son were kidnapped from their car wash business and all three had a lucky escape. After that she had lodged complaints with the Morelos State Attorney General's Office of several death threats.

In Mexico at least ten women are said to be murdered by unknown assasins and so far the killers of the actress or their motives has not been pinned down.