The 20-year-old Mexican beauty queen was shot dead in a gun battle between an army patrol and a gang of drug traffickers in northern Mexico. Maria Susana Flores Gamez was with the criminals, according to local prosecutor.

“She was with the gang of criminals, but we cannot say whether she participated in the shootout,” State Prosecutor Marco Antonio Higuera said on Monday. “That’s what we’re going to have to investigate.”

The lady was crowned Woman of Sinaloa State in a beauty pageant in February 2012. The region is know for heavy drug trafficking. Criminals involved in the shootout are most likely linked to the notorious Sinaloa cartel, Mexican authorities say.

The shootout began after one of the gang members opened fire on patrolling soldiers. The drug traffickers tried to escape, but were chased by the soldiers for several hours and finally cornered near the town of Mocorito.

The body of the young woman was found at the scene of the shootout after the confrontation between soldiers and the criminal gang was over.

Two members of the gang were killed in the operation while four others were captured. The soldiers also confiscated six vehicles; drugs and guns.

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