MIAMI — A body discovered in a rural area of Antioquia is believed to be that of Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina, the 32-year-old American Airlines flight attendant who vanished during a crew layover in Medellín five days ago. Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez confirmed the discovery on Friday afternoon, saying there is a “very high probability” the remains are those of the missing U.S. citizen.
The body was found between the municipalities of Jericó and Puente Iglesias in Antioquia and has been transported to the National Institute of Legal Medicine in Medellín for formal identification.
Mayor Gutiérrez told reporters that investigators already have “very clear clues” pointing to those responsible—and that extradition of suspects is being actively considered.
What We Know
Gutiérrez Molina arrived in Medellín on Saturday night, March 21, on a flight from Miami, and was scheduled to work a return flight to Miami the following morning. He never made it back to the airport.
The 32-year-old and a female colleague had visited a bar in Medellín’s El Poblado neighborhood—a district popular with international tourists—before the group moved to another location. His colleague returned to the hotel disoriented. Gutiérrez Molina’s longtime partner, Ernesto Carranza, told CBS News he became alarmed Sunday morning when he was unable to reach him and discovered his phone was pinging locations far from the layover hotel.
Colombian authorities identified the individuals last seen with Gutiérrez Molina on Thursday, March 26, confirming they have a documented history of committing theft using scopolamine—an incapacitating drug known in Colombia as “devil’s breath.” The U.S. Embassy in Colombia has warned that scopolamine can render a victim unconscious for over 24 hours, can be administered covertly as a colorless and tasteless powder mixed into drinks, and that overdoses can cause respiratory failure and death.
Unofficial estimates suggest around 50,000 scopolamine incidents occur annually in Colombia.
The Mayor’s Statement
Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez confirmed three critical developments in his Friday statement. First, the body discovered between Jericó and Puente Iglesias has a “very high probability” of being Gutiérrez Molina, pending formal identification by the National Institute of Legal Medicine.
Second, investigators from the National Police and the Attorney General’s office have “very clear clues” about those responsible, and arrests are expected shortly.
Third—and significantly—the mayor stated that extradition of those responsible is being considered, a signal that suspects may have connections beyond Colombia or could attempt to flee the country. The mayor also confirmed he personally spoke with Gutiérrez Molina’s father, who had traveled from Texas to Medellín to assist in the search for his son.
The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá has been formally notified and is providing diplomatic support.
A Pattern That Has Claimed Too Many Lives
The case draws a spotlight onto one of the most dangerous dynamics in Medellín’s internationally popular nightlife scene. El Poblado—the neighborhood where Gutiérrez Molina spent his final hours—is considered one of the city’s safest and most cosmopolitan districts, home to restaurants, boutique hotels, and bars frequented by foreign visitors. It is also, according to Colombian authorities and the U.S. Embassy, a known hunting ground for criminal networks that use scopolamine to incapacitate and rob tourists.
The drug can be crushed from plant seeds into an odorless, tasteless powder and mixed undetected into drinks. Victims are left disoriented with no memory of what occurred—and in extreme cases, overdoses cause respiratory failure and death.
Colombian authorities say scopolamine-related crime is common enough that some Medellín bars and clubs post warning signs urging patrons to stay alert.
The U.S. State Department currently has a Level 3 travel warning for Colombia, advising U.S. residents to reconsider travel to the country due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping.
Reactions
Carranza had described the days since Gutiérrez Molina’s disappearance as unbearable. “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, and it makes the days go by longer and slower,” he told CBS News earlier this week.
American Airlines issued a statement saying it is “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 Association of Professional Flight Attendants confirmed it is also supporting the family and the investigation.
Friends described Gutiérrez Molina as someone who “knows right from wrong” and said this was a situation that “could happen to anyone”—a reminder that the danger in Medellín does not discriminate between the naive and the experienced.
The formal identification of the body is pending. Sociedad Media will update this article as confirmed developments emerge.
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