A body believed to be that of Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina, a 32-year-old American Airlines flight attendant based at Dallas-Fort Worth, was found March 27, 2026, between the Colombian municipalities of Jericó and Puente Iglesias, approximately 60 miles southwest of Medellín.
Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez announced the discovery on X, stating that authorities had found “a lifeless body” in that area and that “there is a very high probability that it is this person.” He said he personally delivered the news to Gutiérrez Molina’s father, who was in Medellín, and notified the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia.
‼️Tengo que dar una triste noticia.
Desde el pasado Domingo, estamos en la búsqueda de Eric Gutiérrez un ciudadano Estadounidense que se encuentra desaparecido.
Lamentablemente acaba de ser encontrado un cuerpo sin vida, entre el municipio de Jericó y Puente Iglesias.
Existe…— Fico Gutiérrez (@FicoGutierrez) March 27, 2026
Gutiérrez Molina arrived in Medellín on March 21 on a flight from Miami and went out that evening in the adjacent municipality of Itagüí with two co-workers, a man and a woman. He and his female colleague then left the first establishment with a group of strangers to go to a second location.
Gutiérrez Molina’s location went dark from that point. The female co-worker returned to the crew hotel “somewhat disoriented,” Medellín Security Secretary Manuel Villa said at a press conference.
Villa confirmed that investigators determined both Gutiérrez Molina and the woman had encountered individuals “with a history of committing theft under the influence of scopolamine,” a sedative colloquially known as “Devil’s Breath” that incapacitates victims and suppresses memory.
In a separate investigation, the Policía Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá arrested two women on March 26 in Medellín’s Caicedo and Villahermosa neighborhoods. They face charges of drugging and robbing at least seven American nationals with clonazepam near the Parque Lleras nightlife district, in operations traced back to January 30. No arrests have been announced in connection with Gutiérrez Molina’s disappearance.
Mayor Gutiérrez said authorities hold “very clear leads on those responsible” and called for their extradition. American Airlines said it is “actively engaged” with local law enforcement and providing support to Gutiérrez Molina’s family.
A Colombian medical examiner is working to confirm the identification of the remains and establish a cause of death. The U.S. State Department rates Colombia as Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping.
