You’ve probably heard the story. It’s one of those "friend-of-a-friend" tales that makes your stomach flip. A woman in Mexico City, supposedly named Anabel Gómez López, was caught selling tamales made from human meat. People say she killed dozens of people, maybe even her own husband, just to save a few pesos on pork.
It’s gross. It’s terrifying. It’s also entirely fake.
Despite how often the Anabel Gómez López tamales story resurfaces on TikTok, WhatsApp, and Facebook, there is zero evidence that this woman ever existed. No court records. No police mugshots from the Mexican authorities. No credible news reports from the dates the "arrest" supposedly happened. We’re looking at a classic case of a digital urban legend that refuses to die, fueled by our collective fear of what's actually in our street food.
The Viral Myth of Anabel Gómez López
The narrative usually follows a very specific script. In 2017—or sometimes 2015, depending on which version of the post you're reading—gas leaks or some sort of domestic dispute led police to an apartment in the Indios Verdes area of Mexico City. Once inside, officers allegedly found the remains of over 50 women (the number fluctuates wildly) and a giant pot of tamales.
The story claimed she confessed to using human flesh because the price of beef and pork had skyrocketed.
Honestly, it sounds like a horror movie plot. That's because it's built on the framework of real-life monsters like the "Cannibal of La Guerrero" (José Luis Calva Zepeda), a real criminal who shocked Mexico years prior. But Anabel? She is a ghost. The "mugshot" usually attached to these viral posts is actually a photo of a woman arrested for something completely unrelated, or in some cases, a stock photo or a victim from an entirely different crime.
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Why do we keep believing it?
Humans are wired to pay attention to threats involving food. It’s an evolutionary survival mechanism. If someone tells you the taco stand on the corner is serving "suadero de su-perro" (dog meat), your brain records that info just in case.
When you add a name like Anabel Gómez López tamales to the mix, it gives the lie a sense of "truthiness." Using a specific name makes it feel like a documented legal case rather than a campfire story.
The Real Cannibals That Fueled the Fire
While Anabel is a myth, the reason the story gained such traction in Mexico and beyond is that the country has seen some genuinely horrific cases that weren't hoaxes. This is where the nuance comes in. When a culture has already processed the reality of the "Monsters of Ecatepec" (Juan Carlos and Patricia, who were arrested in 2018 for multiple murders), a story about a tamale lady doesn't seem that far-fetched.
The Monsters of Ecatepec actually did confess to selling the belongings—and in some gruesome rumors, the remains—of their victims.
When the fake Anabel Gómez López story started circulating again around the same time as these real arrests, the public's wires got crossed. The brain doesn't always distinguish between a verified report from El Universal and a sensationalist post on a "Paranormal Mexico" Facebook group.
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Street Food Paranoia
There is a long-standing tradition of "food horror" in urban settings. In the U.S., it's the "rat in the deep fryer" at a fast-food chain. In Mexico, it's the "human meat tamale." Tamales are the ultimate mystery food—wrapped in a husk, steamed until the meat is falling apart, and heavily seasoned with chili. You can't really tell what's inside once it's shredded and sauced.
This makes tamales the perfect vessel for an urban legend about hidden ingredients.
How to Spot the "Anabel Gómez López Tamales" Hoax
If you see this story pop up on your feed again—and it will—look for these red flags:
- Vague sourcing: The post will say "Police in Mexico City reported..." but won't link to a government site or a major newspaper.
- Recycled photos: Save the image and do a reverse image search. You’ll usually find the photo linked to a 2010 arrest for theft or a completely different person.
- The "50 Victims" claim: An arrest involving 50+ victims would be global news. It would be on the front page of the New York Times and the BBC. If it's only on a site called "TrueCrimeWorld24.biz," it's fake.
- Emotional triggers: The story focuses heavily on the "disgust" factor rather than legal facts or trial dates.
The Anabel Gómez López tamales case is basically the "Blue Whale Challenge" of the culinary world. It’s meant to scare you, it’s meant to be shared, and it’s meant to make you look twice at the "tamalero" outside the subway station.
The Impact on Local Vendors
The real tragedy of these hoaxes isn't just the misinformation; it's the damage done to real people. Thousands of families in Mexico City and across Latin America rely on selling tamales to survive. When a story like this goes viral, sales can dip. People get suspicious.
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Street food culture is built on trust. You trust that the person who has been standing at that corner for ten years is serving you good food. Fake news stories like the one about Anabel Gómez López erode that trust for the sake of a few "likes" or "shares."
If you’re genuinely concerned about food safety in street food, look for high turnover. A busy stand is a safe stand. Don't worry about cannibalistic grandmas—worry about whether the salsa has been sitting out in the sun too long. That’s the real danger.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Viral News
The next time a "shocking" crime story hits your timeline, don't just hit share. Do a quick check.
- Check the "Major Three": If it's a crime of this magnitude, it must appear on Associated Press (AP), Reuters, or a major local outlet like Reforma or El Universal. If it's not there, it's likely a fabrication.
- Look for a Trial: In the digital age, everything leaves a trail. If Anabel Gómez López were real, there would be records of her sentencing, her lawyer, and her location in the Santa Martha Acatitla prison.
- Read the Comments: Often, "fact-checkers" or locals will debunk the story in the comments section before the post is even taken down.
Stay skeptical. The world is weird enough without us inventing tamale-making villains.
Enjoy your breakfast, keep your skepticism high, and remember that Anabel is nothing more than a digital ghost story designed to make you lose your appetite. If you're interested in real Mexican history or actual criminal psychology, there are plenty of well-documented cases to dive into that don't rely on 2017 chain letters.
The most important thing you can do is stop the chain. When you see the post, don't comment (which boosts it in the algorithm)—just report it for "false information" and move on.