What began as a routine overnight layover in the vibrant city of Medellín has ended in an international tragedy, leaving the tight-knit flight attendant community in mourning and a family demanding answers.

Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina, a 32-year-old North Texas-based flight attendant for American Airlines, was confirmed dead on Friday, March 27, after his body was discovered in a rural area near Puente Iglesias, over 100 kilometers from where he was last seen. As Colombian authorities launch a homicide investigation, interviews with friends and colleagues have painted a chilling picture of a night that spiraled from celebration into a deadly trap.

The Last Known Movements

Gutiérrez arrived in Medellín on Saturday, March 21, for a brief layover before a scheduled return flight to Miami the following morning. According to friends and a fellow crew member, Gutiérrez and a female colleague headed to the popular El Poblado neighborhood, a world-famous nightlife hub for international tourists.

Witnesses and local reports suggest the pair visited the Perro Negro nightclub, where they reportedly met two men. What happened after they left the venue is where the “haunting details” begin to emerge. While the group reportedly decided to continue the night in the suburb of Itagüí, only one of them would return to the hotel alive.

“A Black Hole of Memory”

The most disturbing detail comes from Gutiérrez’s colleague, who was found disoriented and wandering on Sunday morning. Friends of the family, including Sharom Gil, told reporters that the colleague—who was hospitalized with suspected scopolamine poisoning—has “significant gaps” in her memory.

“She can’t remember parts of the night,” Gil stated. “One minute they were having a drink, and the next, she’s waking up in a hospital bed without Eric. It’s like their final hours together were just erased.”

Scopolamine, known locally as “Devil’s Breath,” is a tasteless, odorless drug frequently used by criminal gangs in Colombia to incapacitate victims, leaving them conscious but unable to resist commands or remember events.

The Mystery of the Phone Pings

While Eric was missing, his longtime partner, Ernesto Carranza, was desperately tracking his phone from Texas. The data revealed a series of “haunting” locations.

“The phone was pinging in two different locations that were nowhere near where he was supposed to be,” Carranza told CBS News. These locations were in industrial and rural outskirts of Medellín, suggesting Gutiérrez may have been transported while incapacitated. By the time the search intensified, the phone had gone dark.

A “Targeted” Pattern?

While Medellín’s Secretary of Security, Manuel Villa Mejía, has reassured tourists that the city is safe, advocacy groups are pointing to a more targeted trend. As a gay man, Gutiérrez’s death has raised concerns about a growing pattern of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in Colombia’s nightlife scene.

“This wasn’t just a random robbery gone wrong,” suggested one source close to the family. “These criminals know exactly who to target—tourists who look successful and appear to be in high spirits.”

A Community in Mourning

American Airlines expressed its heartbreak in an internal memo, calling Gutiérrez a “dear colleague” and a dedicated professional with eight years of service. His death marks the latest in a string of U.S. citizen fatalities in Medellín associated with dating apps and nightlife “predators.”

As the Trump Administration’s State Department confirms it is “closely tracking” the investigation, the focus remains on the two unidentified men seen with Gutiérrez at the nightclub. Surveillance footage from El Poblado is currently being reviewed by a specialized task force.

For those who knew Eric, the “City of Eternal Spring” will now forever be associated with a winter of grief. “He was the life of the party,” one friend shared on social media. “He went to explore a city he loved, and he never came home. We won’t stop until we know exactly who took him from us.”