Amy Muscle Murder Case: Who was Colombian bodybuilder Zunilda Hoyos Mendez? Was she killed by her husband?

Time of India

22-06-2025

Zunilda Hoyos Mendez, a Colombian bodybuilding athlete known internationally by her online name 'Amy Muscle', was found beaten to death with a hammer at a luxury residence on Spain's Costa del Sol on Thursday.
Her partner, 46-year-old Jarrod Gelling, was also found dead in the same property, with what Spanish authorities describe as self-inflicted stab wounds.
Police are investigating the case as a suspected murder-suicide, with early evidence pointing to gender-based violence, Spain's legal classification for domestic murders.
Who was
Amy Muscle
?
Zunilda Hoyos Mendez, 43, was a professional bodybuilder who competed across Latin America and internationally.
She gained prominence after finishing second at the NPC Worldwide Latin American Championships in 2021, and was a consistent presence at regional competitions in Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil.
Her most recent titles included top placements at IFBB-sanctioned events, and she had been preparing for an upcoming competition in Portugal at the time of her death. According to her coach, she was aiming to break into the global top 10 this year.
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Undo
In addition to her competitive career, Zunilda was well known in the online fitness community through her social media presence under the name Amy Muscle. She had built a following of over 100,000 subscribers on platforms like OnlyFans and Fansly, where she combined fitness content with premium modelling work. She was also a frequent subject of interest on fitness-focused Reddit forums, where fans followed her progress and posted about her training routines and competition prep.
What happened in Spain?
Zunilda had arrived in Fuengirola, a town on the southern Spanish coast, from Dubai, where she and Gelling had reportedly been based in recent months. Family members say she had travelled to Spain to help care for Gelling following a knee operation, but had already made the decision to end the relationship due to what they described as persistent aggression.
Her niece Yuleydis told local Spanish media that Zunilda planned to travel to Portugal for a competition and then return to Colombia alone.
'She had taken the decision to split from her husband,' she said. 'For my aunt, it was the last trip—a goodbye.'
She had not been seen since June 14. On Wednesday, a friend filed a missing persons report in Torremolinos. When police entered the home on Thursday around 1:45pm, they discovered her body with signs of blunt force trauma, and Gelling's body in the bathroom with knife wounds. An autopsy is pending.
Was she killed by her partner?
Spanish police suspect Gelling, who held both US and Colombian nationality, may have killed Zunilda before taking his own life.
Authorities said there were no prior complaints of domestic violence involving the couple on record.
The case is being treated as a suspected gender-based homicide, pending confirmation from forensic reports. If confirmed, it would be the third such case in Málaga province this year and the fifth in the Andalusia region.
What has been the reaction?
Tributes have poured in from the bodybuilding and fitness community. Her coach, Branden Rey, said in an emotional social media post:
'We had 17 days until we were going to hit the stage and shock the world.
I told you that you could be top 10 in the world this year.'
Another fellow competitor and friend, Behnaz Azar, wrote:
'You weren't just a friend, you were my teammate and my safe place. We had dreams. Now all that's left is silence.'
Zunilda's death has sent shockwaves through both the professional bodybuilding world and her online following, where she was seen as an aspirational figure who broke through stereotypes around women in strength sports.
What happens next?
Authorities in Málaga are awaiting autopsy and toxicology results. An investigation is ongoing. If the death is confirmed as a case of gender violence, Spanish legal proceedings could proceed even in the absence of a surviving suspect.
Meanwhile, the fitness world mourns the loss of a competitor who was at the peak of her career—one who balanced discipline, digital influence, and a commitment to her craft.