American Airlines flight attendant reported missing in Colombia: Officials

Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina was last seen on Sunday.

An American Airlines flight attendant has been reported missing in Colombia, according to officials.

Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina landed on March 21 on a flight from Miami to Medellin, Colombia, according to the Medellin security secretary.

Authorities believe he may have been drugged and are investigating that claim.

He was last seen early Sunday morning after a party at a club in the Medellín neighborhood of El Poblado, with a man and a woman, according to the security secretary.

“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,” American Airlines said in a statement.

A State Department spokesperson said, “We are aware of these reports and are 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 spokesperson said.

American Airlines Flight Attendant Reported Missing After Vanishing During Layover in Colombia

“Our messages no longer reach him,” a friend told a Colombian news outlet

Eric Fernando Gutierrez

An American Airlines flight attendant has disappeared in Colombia.

Local reports said Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, disappeared during a layover in Medellín on Sunday, March 22, according to NBC affiliate KXAS-TV and Fox affiliate KDFW.

Molina and a coworker planned to party in the El Poblado neighborhood overnight on Saturday, March 21, before their planned return trip to Miami the following day, local television channel Telemedellín reported.

Sharom Gil, Molina’s friend, told the outlet that Molina and his coworker met two men who wanted to continue partying elsewhere after the club they were at closed for the night.

Authorities said Molina was last seen in Medellín’s La América neighborhood during the early morning hours of Sunday, March 22, according to The New York Post.

Molina sent a message early that same morning with his location at an Airbnb in El Poblado, per Telemedellín. He has not been heard from since.

“We have nothing more,” Gil said. “We were able to locate the phone which is in a residential area there in Medellín, but we haven’t been able to talk to him, our messages no longer reach him.”

Gil said a report regarding Molina’s disappearance has been filed with Dallas police and in Medellín, according to Telemedellín. The U.S. Embassy in Colombia has also been notified, she said.

“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,” American Airlines said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, said in a separate statement to KXAS-TV that they are “actively supporting all efforts to help locate our missing colleague in Colombia.”

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In April 2025, the U.S. State Department warned Americans to “reconsider travel” to Colombia “due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping.” The travel advisory remains in effect.