The body of the journalist for the regional newspaper El Mundo was found decapitated by the train tracks in the city of Tezonapa, Veracruz state, where he lived and worked.

According to the State Attorney General's Office (FGE), his body was found a few meters away from his motorcycle, with logos of his newspaper’s website printed on it. The authorities ruled out accident as a cause for the killing, following forensic examinations.

Valdivia had worked for El Mundo since 2014, reporting on general events and crime.

In an editorial, El Mundo said of Rodriguez "Those who knew him remember him as a cheerful and persuasive person in search of news, from social problems to the friendly note, the one he spread to help those who had no voice in the mountains, where he rode his motorcycle for more than two hours to become the voice of the readers."