A search is underway for an American Airlines flight attendant whose disappearance while on a layover in Medellín, Colombia, has left his loved ones desperate for answers.
Eric Fernado Gutierrez Molina, 32, a U.S. citizen and North Texas resident, went missing Saturday evening after a night out with a fellow flight attendant, according to Ernesto Carranza, Gutierrez Molina’s longtime partner, and Sharom Gil, his best friend.
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.
Carranza told CBS News he has been “shattered” by Gutierrez Molina’s disappearance.
“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,” Carranza said.
“I’m missing a part of me. … He’s the most joyful person to ever to be around,” Gil said. “We’re so lost right now.”
Carranza and Gil told CBS News they last communicated with Gutierrez Molina on Saturday night, when he told them he was going out with coworkers.
“I spoke with him Saturday evening, he was just telling me he had a layover in Colombia and he was going to go out with his friends,” Gil said.
Gutierrez Molina was set to work on a return flight from Medellín to Miami on Sunday, and Carranza said he became alarmed Sunday morning when he was unable to reach him. He then discovered that Gutierrez Molina’s phone appeared to be pinging to two locations in Medellín 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, according to Gil, was that Gutierrez Molina’s colleague who went out with him Saturday said she could not recall parts of the night.
“It was his female coworker, they both went out,” Gil said. “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. She was disoriented, but she was able to make it back to the layover hotel.”
Carranza said that Gutierrez Molina’s father, who also resides in Texas, has traveled to Colombia to help local authorities in the search for his son. The progress of the search being conducted by Colombian authorities was unclear.
Manuel Villa Mejía, the security secretary for Medellín, said in a statement Thursday that his “top priority” was locating Gutierrez Molina “safe and sound.” Mejía said that Gutierrez Molina had gone out with colleagues “to an establishment in El Poblado,” and then the group had moved to a different location.
“Since that time, his whereabouts remain unknown,” Mejía said. “Consequently, the protocol for searching for missing persons was activated immediately.”
Mejía said Colombian officials are coordinating with the U.S. Embassy and Gutierrez Molina’s family, including his father.
“We will remain on the ground, working tirelessly and without pause, until we find him — hopefully very soon — so that he may be reunited with his family,” Mejía said.
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.
A spokesperson for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants also told CBS News in a statement that it was “supporting all efforts to locate the missing crew member.”
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