A US flight attendant who went missing in Colombia has been found dead, the family said
A body found in Colombia has been identified by authorities as that of missing American flight attendant Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina, his sister told NBC News on Monday.
A 32-year-old American Airlines flight attendant from Texas disappeared while on vacation with his co-workers in Medellín, Colombia, last week.
Mayra Gutiérrez, Gutiérrez Molina’s sister, said on Monday that Colombian authorities confirmed to the family that her brother’s body was found on Friday in the northeastern region of the South American country.
“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Fernando Gutierrez. Fernando’s personality will always be remembered as a ball of sunshine as he walked in and out of the room,” the family wrote in a GoFundMe post. “He will always be remembered as a humble, kind, and polite man who always helps.”
“Fernando’s life was tragically cut short while on a business trip in Medellin, Colombia,” the family wrote.
Medellin Mayor Federico Gutiérrez announced on social media on Friday that “a dead body was recently found between the municipality of Jericó and Puente Iglesias.”
The Mayor said at the time that the body belonged to Gutiérrez Molina.
“There are many possibilities that this is the person. The lifeless body is being taken to forensic medicine in Medellín to be identified and recognized,” Gutiérrez wrote in X. “We express our solidarity with his family and friends. I have just conveyed the sad news to his father, who is in Medellín in person.”
Gutiérrez also said authorities suspect foul play, adding that officials “have clear leads to those involved.”
The mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Earlier in the week, the Security Secretary of Medellín, Manuel Villa, in a press conference said that Gutiérrez Molina was in Colombia on business and was in the city of Itagüí with a colleague. Gutiérrez Molina and his colleagues left the center to go to the second place with others, also in Itagüí, said Villa.
His colleague returned to the hotel where he was staying, but “came confused,” he said. Gutiérrez Molina has not been seen since.
Villa said their investigation found that Gutiérrez Molina and the woman met people “with a history of stealing” using scopolamine, an anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness and confusion. The investigation is ongoing, he said.
The brother of Gutiérrez Molina on Saturday asked that people keep their families “in your prayers for peace and all my brother, so that God may have mercy on him and bring justice to those who did this to him,” the brother told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
The family said on GoFundMe that Gutiérrez Molina was born and raised in El Salvador before coming to the US and becoming a citizen.
“His mother describes him as a person with a beautiful soul who was quickly noticed by anyone,” the family wrote.
The family wrote: “Ernesto, her partner of many years, will always miss her and appreciate the wonderful person she was. She was the sunshine in her life and will be missed and cherished forever.”
American Airlines said in a statement sent to NBC News on Monday that it is “heartbroken by the tragic passing of our colleague.”
“Our thoughts and support are with his family, loved ones and colleagues at this difficult time, and we are doing everything we can to assist Colombian law enforcement in their investigation,” the airline said.
