The final hours of 32-year-old American Airlines flight attendant Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina remain shrouded in mystery, but friends and investigators have pieced together a troubling picture centered on a night out in Medellín’s lively El Poblado neighborhood. According to multiple reports, Gutierrez Molina and a female coworker visited a popular bar and nightclub area popular with tourists and locals on Saturday night, March 21, 2026. What happened after they left the bar has become central to the investigation — especially after the female colleague later admitted she could not remember significant portions of the evening and was found disoriented.

Gutierrez Molina arrived in Medellín late Saturday on a flight from Miami for a routine overnight crew layover. He was scheduled to work the return flight to Miami the next morning but never appeared for the crew briefing. His hotel key card had not been used again after approximately 2:00 AM, and his final known message shared his location at an Airbnb in El Poblado. After that, all communication stopped. He was last seen in the early hours of Sunday, March 22, in the mostly residential La América neighborhood.

The Night Out in El Poblado

Friends, including best friend Sharom Gil and longtime partner Ernesto Carranza, confirmed that Gutierrez Molina went out with at least one female coworker (some accounts mention two coworkers initially, a man and a woman). They visited bars and a nightclub in El Poblado, a vibrant district known for its nightlife, restaurants, and appeal to international visitors.

According to Gil, the group met two unidentified men at the club. When the venue closed, the men reportedly invited them to continue the party elsewhere. Gutierrez Molina and his female colleague appear to have left with or toward these individuals. Witnesses reportedly saw him talking to two men outside the nightclub around 1:30–1:45 a.m., with some residents hearing arguments or fighting nearby.

His last confirmed action was sending a location share from an Airbnb in El Poblado. Phone pings later placed him in areas far from his hotel, including residential zones inconsistent with a simple return to the layover accommodation.

The Colleague’s Partial Memory Loss

Adding significant concern to the timeline is the experience of the female coworker who was with him. According to Gil in interviews with CBS News and local media, she later told friends and possibly authorities that she could not remember parts of the night. She was reportedly found disoriented — in some accounts wandering in El Poblado or near the hotel — and required medical attention. Gil described her as “also a victim of whatever Fernando is going through right now,” without disclosing further details out of respect for her privacy.

This memory gap and disorientation have fueled widespread speculation about scopolamine (“Devil’s Breath”), a powerful sedative notorious in Colombia for use in drug-facilitated crimes. The substance can be slipped into drinks, blown into faces, or administered covertly, causing rapid confusion, amnesia, compliance, loss of balance, and blackouts. Victims often have little to no recollection afterward and can be robbed, coerced, or moved while incapacitated. The U.S. Embassy has long warned travelers about this risk in Colombian nightlife scenes.

The coworker’s survival and partial return contrast sharply with Gutierrez Molina’s complete vanishing, raising questions about whether both were targeted, if they separated at some point, or if different outcomes resulted from the same exposure.

Previous Circulating Details in the Case

This new focus on “what happened after the bar” connects to other elements that emerged during the frantic search:

Alleged security footage descriptions of Gutierrez staggering down a street, appearing disturbed and disoriented, spinning in confusion, followed by an unknown man.
Unverified claims of a nurse finding an empty bag of blood in his hotel room.
The hotel key card never being used again after ~2 AM.
Investigators identifying people last seen with him, some with criminal histories.

Medellín’s Secretary of Security Manuel Villa Mejía confirmed progress in identifying associates and reviewing CCTV, phone records, and witness statements, with a focus on possible robbery, extortion, or drug-facilitated crimes.

Tragic Discovery and Ongoing Investigation

On Friday, March 28, 2026, authorities located a lifeless body in a rural area between Jericó and Puente Iglesias in Antioquia department, about 60 miles southwest of Medellín — far from the initial El Poblado and La América zones. Medellín Mayor Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez announced a “very high probability” the body is that of Gutierrez Molina, pending formal forensic identification, autopsy, and toxicology. An abandoned backpack was reportedly spotted near a rural road close to the site.

The remote location suggests he may have been transported out of the city after the events in El Poblado. Investigators noted “very clear clues” regarding possible perpetrators and are pursuing leads, including potential extradition if suspects are foreign nationals. American Airlines is cooperating fully and supporting the family. The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá is also involved.

Family and Friends Devastated

Gutierrez Molina’s partner Ernesto Carranza described himself as “shattered,” while Gil and others had issued urgent social media appeals with photos of him in his American Airlines uniform. Loved ones portrayed him as a dedicated, outgoing professional with years at the airline who loved his career and would never miss a flight without reason.

The case has highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by flight crews during layovers, even in popular destinations like Medellín, which has worked hard to shed its violent past but still sees occasional incidents involving sedatives in nightlife areas.

As of March 28, 2026, the investigation continues with forensic results pending. Authorities urge anyone with information about the night in El Poblado, the individuals met after the bar, or the coworker’s account to come forward.

What happened after the bar in El Poblado may hold the key to understanding how a routine night out for two flight attendants turned into one colleague returning disoriented with memory loss — and the other never returning to his hotel or flight at all. The aviation community mourns a lost colleague while hoping the full circumstances will soon be clarified through the ongoing probe.