One suspect has been returned to Colombia, while the second remains detained in Peru as authorities pursue the international case.
MEDELLÍN, Colombia — Two suspects charged in the death of American Airlines flight attendant Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina have been captured in Peru, according to the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, marking a major development in a case that began during a crew layover in March.
The suspects are accused of drugging and killing Gutierrez Molina in the Medellín area. One has been transferred from Peru to Colombia, while the other remains in Peruvian custody, the embassy said. Officials have not publicly identified the suspects or announced when the person still held in Peru could be sent to Colombia.
Gutierrez Molina, 32, was a U.S. citizen, North Texas resident and Dallas-Fort Worth-based flight attendant. Friends said he had worked as a flight attendant for about eight years. He disappeared after going out during a layover in Medellín, setting off a search involving relatives, local authorities, the airline and U.S. officials.
Family members and Colombian officials said Gutierrez Molina went out March 21 with another flight attendant after their work schedule changed. They visited a bar in El Poblado, a Medellín neighborhood known for restaurants, nightlife and international tourism. Gutierrez Molina did not return for his next flight, and people close to him said they became alarmed when he stopped communicating.
The colleague who had been with him later returned without Gutierrez Molina and was found disoriented, according to accounts provided by his family and friends. The colleague was taken to a hospital. Authorities have not publicly released a complete account of what happened after the two flight attendants left the bar.
During the search, Medellín Mayor Federico Gutierrez announced March 27 that a body had been found between the municipalities of Jericó and Puente Iglesias. At the time, the mayor said there was a high probability that the remains were those of the missing flight attendant and that they would be taken to Medellín for formal examination and identification.
American Airlines later confirmed Gutierrez Molina’s death in a message to employees and described it as heartbreaking. The Fort Worth-based carrier had said during the search that it was working with local law enforcement and supporting the flight attendant’s family. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants also said it was assisting efforts to locate him.
The arrests add an international legal process to the Colombian criminal case. Colombian authorities must handle the prosecution, while officials in Peru will determine the procedure for the suspect who remains there. No court dates, defense attorneys or details of the formal charges beyond the reported drugging and killing accusations have been publicly announced.
The U.S. Embassy’s announcement did not describe the evidence that investigators say connects the suspects to Gutierrez Molina’s death. Authorities also have not released a complete timeline of the suspects’ movements after March or explained how investigators located them in Peru.
The case remains pending, and the allegations against both suspects must be proven in court. One suspect is now in Colombian custody, while the timing and terms of any transfer involving the second suspect have not been released.
Author note: Last updated August 4, 2026.