Fernández, former anchorwoman for the local channel of Peruvian Radio and Television Network, was shot dead in a restaurant in Chimbote, on the northern coast of Peru. She had received threats after she began investigating the death of a cousin who was killed in a bar brawl that involved an army intelligence officer. The police claimed that Fernández was the victim of a botched robbery, but the fact she was shot 11 times in the back belies this explanation.