A celebrated female bodybuilding champion was found brutally murdered in her luxury Spanish home, and police believe her husband took his own life shortly after the killing in a suspected murder-suicide.
Zunilda Hoyos Méndez, a 43-year-old Colombian-born athlete known in the fitness world as “Amy,” was discovered dead on Thursday, June 19, at her upscale villa in the Higuerón West community of Fuengirola, Spain. Police made the horrifying discovery after a friend filed a missing persons report, saying no one had heard from Méndez in five days.
When officers entered the home around 1:45 p.m., they found Méndez’s body with fatal injuries believed to have been caused by a hammer. Her American husband, 46-year-old Jarrod Gelling, was also found inside with knife wounds consistent with suicide, according to Spanish outlets Canaries 7 and SUR.
Family members say warning signs had been building for some time.
“We were in contact with her every day,” said Méndez’s niece, Yuleydis. “It was strange and terrifying when we didn’t hear anything since Saturday.”
Yuleydis also shared that Méndez had spoken openly about Gelling’s increasingly aggressive behavior and had decided to divorce him. According to her, this was supposed to be their “final trip together” before Méndez moved on with her life. She had even delayed her departure to Portugal for a bodybuilding competition to care for Gelling after his knee surgery.
The couple met four years ago through their mutual passion for bodybuilding and spent much of their relationship traveling, with long stays in Dubai. They had no children.
Concern also grew among Méndez’s local gym community in Fuengirola when she stopped showing up to train and stopped replying to messages. Her absence sent shockwaves through the bodybuilding world.
Branden Ray, Méndez’s coach, shared a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram, writing, “We had 17 days until we were going to hit the stage and shock the world. You could have been top 10 in the world by the end of this year. The closest person to you ended it too soon. Domestic violence should never be taken lightly.”
Fellow competitor Behnaz Azar posted a moving eulogy, calling Méndez “the most powerful woman I knew in the world of bodybuilding, yet with the gentlest heart.”
Police are continuing to investigate the case, but early reports point strongly toward domestic violence. Local authorities have not yet released an official statement.
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Author: thedailycrime1
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