A professional female bodybuilder was beaten to death with a hammer at her Costa del Sol home before her muscleman husband killed himself using a knife, police believe.
Colombian bodybuilding champion Zunilda Hoyos Mendez was found dead yesterday afternoon after detectives went to the property on an upmarket residential estate in the popular Spanish resort of Fuengirola.
The body of her partner, named as 46-year-old Jarrod Gelling, was found in a bathroom with what police have described in an initial statement as ‘apparent self-inflicted stab wounds.’
Zunilda, who was also known online as Colombian She-Hulk, had been missing since Saturday after flying to the Costa del Sol from Dubai where the couple spent much of their time following a competition.
The dead woman’s relatives described Jarrod overnight as ‘aggressive’ and said they believe he could have lashed out after she told him she wanted a divorce.
Zunilda’s niece Yuleydis told Malaga-based newspaper Sur her aunt was going to help nurse Jarrod after a knee operation before travelling to Portugal for a competition.
After, she planned to head back to Colombia alone after making the decision to divorce him.
‘For my aunt it was the last trip, a goodbye’, niece Yuleydis said.
A Colombian bodybuilder and her American husband were found dead in a Costa del Sol apartment
Zunilda Hoyos Mendez was known online as Colombian She-Hulk
‘She had taken the decision to split from her husband because of his aggressive behaviour.
‘They had broken up already once and were apart for quite a while but then got back together again to try to resolve things, although the mistreatment continued.’
The couple’s bodies were found just before 2pm yesterday inside a property on a residential estate called Higueron West after a gym companion of Zunilda’s raised the alarm saying he hadn’t seen her since June 14.
A National Police spokesman in Malaga said yesterday: ‘The National Police is investigating the death of a man and woman found lifeless at a property in Fuengirola.
‘In the absence of official identification of the bodies, initial inquiries are pointing to them being those of a 43-year-old woman of Colombian origin and her 46-year-old partner of American origin.
‘Officers went to the property on a residential estate about 1.45pm after a friend of the woman whose body was found reported her disappearance on Wednesday at the National Police Station in Torremolinos.
‘Her body showed obvious signs of violence and that of the man’s signs indicating a suicide-type death which is something an autopsy will have to confirm.’
Although the suspected killer was said by police to be of ‘American origin’ he is believed to have dual Colombian and US nationality.
They were not on the Spanish police radar over previous reports of domestic violence.
If the woman’s death is confirmed as a gender violence murder, it would be the third so far in the province of Malaga and the fifth in Southern Spain’s Andalucia region.
Earlier this month a Spanish woman was strangled and beaten to death on waste ground behind a petrol station a short drive from Marbella. Her 47-year-old Bulgarian partner was arrested and remanded in custody.
In February a 48-year-old mum-of-three was allegedly killed by her 42-year-old Nigerian ex-partner in the popular Costa del Sol holiday resort of Benalmadena.
Spanish news website El Espanol reported overnight that as well as being a big name in the professional bodybuilding world, Zunilda also had more than 100,000 followers on Onlyfans and Fansly where it said she sold steamy videos as ‘the naughtiest fitness girl.’
She finished second in the NPC Worldwide Latin American Championships in 2021.
Her coach Branden Rey said in an emotional Instagram post beside a photo of her flexing her muscles in a black bikini: ‘We had 17 days until we were going to hit the stage and shock the world my friend.
‘I told you that you could possibly be top 10 in the world by the end of this year and I meant it.
‘Rest in paradise’.
In a second post he added: ‘We were so close to the end but the closest person to you ended it too soon.
‘Domestic violence should never be taken lightly, because it can leave many with a heavy heart.’
Bodybuilder friend and coach Behnaz Azar said in an online tribute: ‘I don’t know where to begin.
‘My heart is broken, my mind is clouded, and my soul is drowning in shock and sorrow.
‘Amy – my kind, strong, fierce friend.
‘The most powerful woman I knew in the world of bodybuilding, yet with the gentlest heart.
‘Your weren’t just a friend, you were my sister, my teammate, my safe place. You were a part of me.
‘We had dreams. Big ones. We were going to travel the world together, step onto the competition stage side by side, and chase the goals we poured our heart into.
‘Now all that’s left is silence, and a wound so deep I know it will never fully heal.
‘The news of your murder shattered something inside me. It doesn’t feel real. You didn’t deserve this. No-one like you ever does.
‘Amy, I will carry your memory with me always, in every rep, every journey, every moment my heart aches for you.
‘Until we meet again, in a world kinder than this one. Rest in peace, my shining star.’
