Loved ones of American Airlines flight attendant Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina are speaking out as authorities continue to search for him. Molina, 32, disappeared during a recent layover in Medellin, Colombia, and one official said he was last seen with people known to have used a drug nicknamed “devil’s breath” to commit thefts in the past.
Molina’s longtime partner, Ernesto Carranza, said, “I want to believe that he’s alive.” Meanwhile, new details have emerged as Molina’s loved ones are speaking out.
Molina, 32, disappeared during a layover in Medellin following a night of partying in the El Poblado neighborhood of Medellin. According to a local television channel, Telemedellin, he was reportedly partying from late Sunday, March 21, until the morning of Sunday, March 22, 2026.
An American Airlines flight attendant has gone missing in Colombia after failing to return from a routine crew layover.
Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, had arrived in Medellín on a flight from Miami and was due back at the airport the following morning. He never showed up.… pic.twitter.com/ofARjuJOTm
— Flightdrama (@flightdrama) March 26, 2026
Manuel Villa Mejia, Secretary of Security of Medellin, spoke at a press conference on Thursday, March 26. He said Molina, who is based in Dallas-Fort Worth, was out partying with a male and a female coworker. As reported by NBC affiliate KXAS, the flight attendant then headed out with the female coworker and other unknown persons to another establishment to continue partying.
According to officials, those people, who have not been named, have previously used a drug called scopolamine, or “devil’s breath,” to commit thefts. Meanwhile, investigators have identified phones and vehicles used by the suspects. However, according to KXAS, they have not said if the suspects were questioned or arrested.
The partner of missing American Airlines flight attendant Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina tells @cbenavidesTV he is “shattered” as the search continues for him in Medellín, Colombia. Gutierrez Molina, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen and North Texas resident, disappeared Saturday night… pic.twitter.com/OaqD5r522L
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 27, 2026
Molina’s longtime partner, Carranza, said he is “shattered” by the flight attendant’s disappearance. “I want to believe that he’s alive, and I want to continue believing that he’s alive,” Carranza said, “but throughout each day you wake up not knowing anything, and it makes the days go by longer and slower.”
Meanwhile, Carranza and Sharom Gil, Molina’s best friend, told CBS News that they last communicated with the flight attendant on Saturday night. They said that Molina had told them he was going out with his coworkers that evening.
However, after he was unable to contact Molina on Sunday morning, Carranza said he started to worry. He found out later that Molina‘s phone pinged at two locations that “were nowhere near” Molina’s hotel. According to the Medellin missing person alert, he was last seen early Sunday in the residential La America neighborhood, an area not typically associated with tourist activity.
On a worrying note, the flight attendant’s female coworker said she cannot recall parts of their night out. “We don’t want to disclose anything that happened to her, but she was also a victim of whatever Fernando is going through right now,” the friend stated. According to Carranza, Molina’s father has since traveled to Colombia to help in the search for his son.
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.”
Moreover, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said they are “actively supporting all efforts to help locate our missing colleague in Colombia.”
As reported by the Independent, Molina’s disappearance comes at a time when the US State Department travel advisory for Colombia remains on a “reconsider travel” level amid ongoing concerns over widespread violent crime in the country.
