MEXICO CITY — Marbella Ibarra, a coach who pioneered the development of women’s soccer in Mexico, was found beaten to death this week, a month after she went missing from her home in the border city of Tijuana.
From her start as a star forward at the Autonomous University of Baja California, Ms. Ibarra dedicated her career to training female players. She was the driving force behind Mexico’s first professional women’s team, persuading Club Tijuana to form a female squad four years ago.
Ms. Ibarra, who was 46, was buried on Thursday. Her body, covered with a blanket, was discovered Sunday in Rosarito, a resort town to the south of Tijuana.