Have you ever heard of “La Mataviejitas”? She’s known as Mexico’s first female serial killer as well as one of the most heartbreaking murders to take place in Mexico.
Who was “La Mataviejitas”?
Juana Dayanara Barraza Samperio was born on December 27th, 1957. She was a former “professional” wrestler, known as “The Silent Lady.” She was born in Epazoyucan, Hidalgo in Mexico City.
Juana’s Early Years
When Juana was young, her mother was reported to be an alcoholic and constantly abused her; she allegedly traded Juana for three beers to a man who continuously sexually assaulted her. While she was with him, he had gotten her pregnant with a son, who later died from injuries in a robbery attack. She was said to have a total of four children.
Evidence to Leading Suspects
Two other suspects involved in the case of “La Mataviejitas” were Araceli Vazquez and Jorge Mario Tablas Silva.
Araceli Vazquez was detained in March of 2004. She was identified when a glass cup was taken in as
evidence to potentially find any fingerprints left by the killer of Margarita Aceves Quezada. The second victim that they detained was Jorge Mario Tablas Silva. Many believe that Jorge was falsely accused of having any involvement with the case. When both of these suspects were detained, their homes were searched and the police found white coats with wigs that these murderers used to trick older women into trusting them enough to let them into their homes. They used the wigs and coats to dress up as social workers and nurses to confuse the older women into believing that they were doing check ups.
Investigation
During the investigation, the chief prosecutor and other policemen depicted the true murderer as having a “brilliant mind, and being clever and careful” (Wikipedia). Many officers assumed the murderer was a man due to witness statements claiming that the killer had a masculine build. The search for Juana began to slow down as many police officers began to assume that the murderer must’ve committed suicide. Due to this, police officers began checking the bodies of victims for fingerprints that could have been left by the murderer to hopefully capture them and close this case.
Capture/Questioning
In November of 2005, Mexican authorities reported witness statements claiming that the murderer would wear women’s clothing to gain access to victims’ apartments. On January 25th, 2006, a suspect was arrested after fleeing from the home of the last victim, Ana María de los Reyes Alfaro. When the police and media revealed who the killer was, the media went crazy to find out that “La Mataviejitas” was actually a woman. Once they had detained Juana, they began questioning her family members and friends. Many of Juana’s wrestling friends claimed that she loved the wrestling environment but never set foot in a ring to professionally wrestle. When Juana was searched, they had found her carrying a stethoscope, pension forms, and an ID card to identify herself as a social worker.
Trial
Juana was tried in the spring of 2008, which led the prosecution to believe that she was responsible for the 40 deaths and more. Juana admitted that she did kill Alfaro because of how her mother had treated her but denied the other murders. On Monday, March 31, 2008, Juana was found guilty on 16 counts of murder and aggravated burglary (Wikipedia). She was sentenced to 759 years
and 17 days in prison, but due to Mexican law, the maximum sentence is 60 years. She will most likely serve that full sentence.
Victims
All of Juana’s victims were identified to be women over the age of 60, who were assumed to live alone. These older women were either strangled or struck with a heavy hammer by Juana to kill and rob them. The first crime was in 1998. Over the course of eight years, she killed 48 elderly women. She claimed that her teenage years were hard for her due to the abuse she endured from her mother and the man she was sold off to, ultimately causing her hatred of elderly women.
Conclusion
While Juana was in prison, she has been working as a gym instructor along with selling tacos to help support her family. It was also reported that Juana had gotten married and divorced while serving her time.
Thank you for taking the time to read our article! If you would like to know more about this case, we recommend that you watch the Netflix documentary The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders.
References
Betanzos, M. (2023, July 27). Araceli Vázquez, the Mexican serial killer who never was. El Pais in English. Retrieved May 12, 2026, from https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-07-27/araceli-vazquez-the-mexican-serial-killer-who-never-was.html
Netflix (Director). (2023). The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Muders [Film]. Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/title/81511776 (Original work published 2023)
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Juana Barraza. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 12, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juana_Barraza
