Key facts
- Mexican prosecutors allege a targeted home invasion for a Bitcoin cold wallet led to four deaths.
- Victims include musician Jonathan Meléndez, his pregnant wife, their young daughter, and a domestic worker.
- The suspects allegedly sought a cold wallet believed to hold millions of dollars in Bitcoin.
- Two men, Diego Sebastián and Gerardo, have been arrested in connection with the crime.
- The couple's six-year-old son survived the attack.
Mexican prosecutors allege that two men targeted the home of Camilo Séptimo keyboardist Jonathan Meléndez in search of a cold wallet they believed contained millions of dollars in Bitcoin, leading to the deaths of the musician, his pregnant wife, their three-year-old daughter, and a domestic worker.
According to reports, Meléndez, his wife Ana Paula Barragán, their daughter Sofía, and 21-year-old domestic worker Aleyda Romero were found dead at their home in Atizapán de Zaragoza, State of Mexico, on September 1. The couple's six-year-old son survived the incident.
Authorities identified the suspects as Diego Sebastián and Gerardo. Prosecutors allege that Diego Sebastián, a business associate of Meléndez, used their relationship to gain access to the home and offered Gerardo 2 million pesos, approximately $118,000, to help obtain the cryptocurrency. Both suspects were arrested on September 2.
Cold wallets, typically hardware devices, store the private keys that control access to cryptocurrency funds. While they offer protection against online threats, they do not eliminate physical risks, making holders vulnerable to direct attacks.
These killings are part of an observed increase in violent attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders. Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics firm, documented 46 violent crypto attacks through late June, resulting in over $30 million stolen in the first half of 2026. Home invasions constituted 37% of these documented incidents.
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