Dog of Murdered Journalist Lourdes Maldonado Waiting Outside Her Home Breaks Hearts Online

Heartbreaking photos of a dog waiting outside the home of its murdered owner in Mexico have gone viral online.

Images shared on social media showed the dog sitting outside the Tijuana home of Lourdes Maldonado, a journalist who was murdered on Sunday.

The sad dog was photographed lying down on the ground by the front door of the home, which was cordoned off.

A photo of the pooch was shared on the 28.5 million-strong Reddit page r/pics by user u/throwawaynumber53 on Monday.

The post titled "Mexican journalist Lourdes Maldonado was murdered yesterday. Her dog is still waiting for her today" was upvoted some 81,400 times and was commented on more than 2380 occasions.

Reddit users commented on the heartbreaking photo of the dog waiting for its owner to return.

One posted: "This photo is heartbreaking. There's just too much needless violence in the world. It really hurts."

Another added: "My heart aches too. Let us try and make the world better."

Commenters also praised reporters working in Mexico, which is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to work.

One said: "Becoming a journalist in Mexico has to be one of the most dangerous jobs in the world."

In a tweet translated from Spanish by Google, journalist Rosa Lilia Torres said: "The pet waiting at the door of the home where journalist Lourdes Maldonado was murdered went viral on social media. The black dog lay down at the entrance to the journalist's home."

Another tweet from reporter Yolanda Morales, also translated from Spanish by Google, read: "The dog of Lourdes Maldonado, murdered journalist."

Maldonado was shot dead in her car in the Santa Fe area of Tijuana.

Veteran reporter Maldonado, who covered corruption and politics in Mexico, became widely known after working on the TV show Brebaje.

In 2019, Maldonado appeared at one of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's morning news conferences pleading for help as she feared for her life.

After learning about Maldonado's death, President Lopex Obrador pledged a full investigation.

He said: "What happened is very regrettable."

Maldonado is the third journalist to be killed in Mexico this year, with her death coming less than a week after photojournalist Margarito Martinez was shot in the head outside his Tijuana home.

The Press Freedom Index (PFI), an annual ranking published by Reporters Without Borders, says Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work.

The PFI, run by Reporters Without Borders, currently ranks Mexico as 143th out of 180 for press freedom as well as violence against journalists.

It added: "Collusion between officials and organized crime poses a grave threat to journalists' safety and cripples the judicial system at all levels.

"Journalists who cover sensitive political stories or crime, especially at the local level, are warned, threatened and then often gunned down in cold blood."