The woman found beaten to death by a hammer on the Costa del Sol on Thursday has been named as Zunilda Hoyos Mendez.
The professional bodybuilder, known as ‘She Hulk’, was found in her rented Fuengirola apartment in the upmarket urbanisation of Higueron West.
Her American husband Jarrod Gelling, 46, was found dead in the bathroom with ‘self-inflicted stab wounds.’
The alarm was raised after Zunilda, 43, who called herself Amy, had not been heard from since arriving from Dubai on Saturday – where the couple spent a lot of their time.
Zunilda’s family told Sur that she had decided to divorce Gelling, who was ‘aggressive’.
Her niece Yuleydis said: ‘She had taken the decision to split from her husband because of his aggressive behaviour.
‘They had broken up already once and were apart for quite a while but then got back together again to try to resolve things, although the mistreatment continued.’
The Policia Nacional are working with the theory that Jarrod killed Zunilda before taking his own life.
The suspected killer is believed to have Colombian and US nationality.
According to respected Spanish newspaper El Español, Zunilda had more than 100,000 followers on OnlyFans and Fansly, where she uploaded X-rated content.
She finished second in the NPC Worldwide Latin American Championships in 2021.
Her coach Branden Rey said in a tribute post: ‘We had 17 days until we were going to hit the stage and shock the world my friend.
‘I told you that you could possibly be top 10 in the world by the end of this year and I meant it. Rest in paradise Amy.’
Bodybuilder Behnaz Azar added: ‘I don’t know where to begin. My heart is broken, my mind is clouded, and my soul is drowning in shock and sorrow.
‘The most powerful woman I knew in the world of bodybuilding, yet with the gentlest heart.’
