She was the vendor who sold the most delicious tamales at the Indios Verdes metro station in Mexico City. She was so popular that people stood in line at her stall early in the morning. They even said that the taste was very different from any other tamales, so good, it was almost.
And then, apparently in 2017, a gas leak was the cause of the change of everything.
If you come across the name Anabel Gomez Lopez trending on TikTok, YouTube, or true crime forums, then you are probably familiar with the story: a simple tamale street vendor who was blamed for the murder of more than 50 women and serving their flesh to the commuters without their knowledge. It is one of the most shocking horror stories that has come out of Mexico City.
However, this is what most videos won’t tell you, and it turns the whole story upside down.
The Story That Went Viral
The tale says that Anabel Gomez Lopez was a “tamalera”, a person selling tamales on the streets, who would every day set up her stand outside the famous Indios Verdes metro station, which is one of the biggest transit hubs in the northern part of Mexico City.
It suggests that everything ended as a result of a gas leak. A neighbour rang the emergency number. Firefighters came and entered her apartment to stop the gas leakage, and they were shocked. They allegedly found the skeletal remains of a woman in the living room, and she was without flesh.
The police went to the place of the metro station and took Anabel to the police station immediately. The most terrifying version of the story is that she admitted to killing more than 50 women over a period of years. In order to make her tamales, she used human meat as a cost-saving measure, as she explained in the story.
According to a claim that people have quoted endlessly online, Anabel Gomez Lopez stated that her first victim was a lost girl. She took the child home and promised herself that she would call the girl’s parents. But she never did, and said: “The devil is the devil.”
Horrifying. Unforgettable. And shared millions of times.
Here’s What the Investigations Actually Found
Now for the twist nobody expects.
When Mexican journalists investigated the case, they quickly realized that there was no official record of the crimes that Anabel Gomez Lopez was supposed to have committed.
There is no criminal complaint, no court case, no archive in the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office (FGJ/PGJ), no prison record that matches the story. Besides, El Heraldo de México and other major media outlets looked up official detention databases and could not find anything under her name related to these crimes.
Simply put, the most infamous “serial killer” of the Mexico City metro seems to be nothing more than an urban legend, a digital-age myth that originated on blogs, was spread on Facebook, reached TikTok, and has been helped by people to add gruesome details at each retelling.
There is a name and a photograph. The crimes, as told, simply do not exist.
Why Did Millions of People Believe It?
1. It seems quite realistic. The capital alone has documented cases of horrendous crimes, and food stalls are an integral part of everyday life for millions. So the story takes something common, a morning tamale, and turns it into a weapon, which is exactly what urban legends do.
2. It reminds you of real events. You can hardly tell where the official crime ends, and the folk-tale colour of the metro begins.
3. The internet glorifies terror, not the real facts. A TikTok lasting just a minute and telling “she murdered 50 women and ate them with commuters” can get millions of views. But a rectification saying “there are no records” gets a tiny fraction of the views of the legend. So the legend simply overshadows the truth.
The Real Lesson Behind the Legend
The Anabel Gomez Lopez narrative is a great example of how misinformation operates in 2026. A name, a photograph, a believable setting, and a very memorable detail; that is all people need to frame someone in the minds of the internet, with zero proof.
Before re-sharing another “true crime” video on your feed, simply ask yourself one thing: where is the case file?
If nobody can show you one, then you may be encountering the next Tamalera de Indios Verdes meat fantasy.
Faqs
1. Is the Anabel Gomez Lopez story real?
No evidence supports the story. Reporters investigated the claims and found no formal accusations, court records, or prosecution files linking Anabel Gomez Lopez to the alleged murders. The story is most likely fictional, even though people continue to share a name and a photograph alongside it.
2. What does the viral story claim happened?
The viral story portrays Anabel Gomez Lopez as a tamale vendor outside the Indios Verdes metro station. According to the tale, firefighters responded to a gas leak at her home and discovered human remains. Police then arrested her, and a court allegedly sentenced her to 25 years in prison after she confessed to killing 50 women and serving human flesh to commuters through tamales.
3. Who was “La Tamalera de Indios Verdes”?
The viral story refers to Anabel Gomez Lopez as “La Tamalera de Indios Verdes” or “The Tamale Vendor of Indios Verdes.” Over time, people have turned the character into one of Mexico City’s most well-known urban legends, alongside other metro-related horror stories.
