Colombian mayor says body found in search for missing American Airlines flight attendant

A body was found during a search for an American Airlines flight attendant who disappeared during a layover in Medellin, Colombia, the city’s mayor said Friday.

Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, a U.S. citizen and North Texas resident, went missing Saturday evening after a night out with a fellow flight attendant. The two flight attendants visited a bar in Medellin’s El Poblado neighborhood, popular with international tourists, according to family and friends as well as Colombian officials.

Gutierrez Molina was set to work on a return flight from Medellín to Miami on Sunday. His longtime partner, Ernesto Carranza, told CBS News that he became worried when he wasn’t able to reach him on Sunday morning.

Fico Gutierrez, the mayor of Medellin, said on Friday that a “lifeless body” was found between the municipalities of Jerico and Puente Iglesias during the search for Gutierrez Molina.

“There is a very high probability that it is this person,” he said in a social media post, adding that the body is being taken to the coroner’s office in Medellin for identification. “We express our solidarity to his family and friends. I have just personally delivered the painful news to his father, who is in Medellin.”

Fico Gutierrez said an investigation is underway. Additional details were not immediately available.

In an internal memo sent to American Airlines flight attendants Saturday, the airline said it was “heartbroken to share the news” of Gutierrez Molina’s death, although there was no explanation of whether it had received confirmation from Colombian authorities that the body found was his. The airline said it was “actively engaged” with Colombian authorities as the investigation continues.

“We are also doing everything we can to support his family as they mourn the loss of their son and brother and return him home to be laid to rest,” the airline said. “Our thoughts are with our colleague, his loved ones, and the entire flight attendant team during this very difficult time.”

Carranza told CBS News that, after not being able to reach him, Gutierrez Molina’s phone appeared to be pinging to two locations in Medellin that were not near his hotel.

“Both locations were nowhere near where he was supposed to sleep for the night,” Carranza said.  

Adding to the mystery was that the other flight attendant who went out with Gutierrez Molina on Saturday said she could not remember parts of the night, his friend, Sharom Gil, told CBS News.

In a statement provided to CBS News Texas, American Airlines said it was “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.”

When reached by CBS News Texas, the U.S. Embassy in Colombia said it was “restricted from speaking about most individual cases due to federal privacy laws.”

The State Department also said in its own statement to CBS News Texas that it was “aware” of “reports” of Gutierrez Molina’s disappearance and was “closely tracking the situation.”

“The Trump Administration has no greater priority than the safety and security of Americans, and the State Department stands ready to provide all consular assistance to Americans in need abroad,” the State Department said Thursday.