An American Airlines flight attendant has disappeared during an overnight layover in Medellín, Colombia, prompting a search by local authorities. Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, based in Dallas-Fort Worth, arrived from Miami on Saturday night and was due to return the following day, according to local media.
Molina went out to bars in the El Poblado area and met two men at a club before deciding to continue the party elsewhere, said close friend Sharom Gil. He sent a message early Sunday morning with his location at an Airbnb, but then lost contact. Investigators believe he may have been drugged, and suspects have been identified, Telemedellín reported.
Molina's partner, Ernesto Carranza, told CBS News he was out with a colleague when he vanished. “I want to believe that he's alive, and I want to continue believing that he's alive, but throughout each day you wake up not knowing anything,” Carranza said. Missing persons reports have been filed in Dallas and Medellín, and American Airlines has notified the US embassy.
American Airlines said in a statement: “We are actively engaged with local law enforcement officials in their investigation and doing all we can to support our team member's family during this time.” The US State Department currently advises Americans to “reconsider travel” to Colombia due to violent crime, including kidnapping.
