Colombian mayor says body found in search for missing U.S. flight attendant

A assemblage was recovered during a hunt for an American Airlines formation attendant who disappeared during a layover successful Medellin, Colombia, the city's politician said Friday.

Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, a U.S. national and North Texas resident, went missing Saturday evening aft a nighttime retired with a chap formation attendant. The 2 formation attendants visited a barroom successful Medellin's El Poblado neighborhood, fashionable with planetary tourists, according to household and friends arsenic good arsenic Colombian officials.

Gutierrez Molina was acceptable to enactment connected a instrumentality formation from Medellín to Miami connected Sunday. His longtime partner, Ernesto Carranza, told CBS News that helium became disquieted erstwhile helium wasn't capable to scope him connected Sunday morning.  

An undated photograph of Eric Fernado Gutierrez Molina.  Ernesto Carranza

Fico Gutierrez, the politician of Medellin, said connected Friday that a "lifeless body" was recovered betwixt the municipalities of Jerico and Puente Iglesias during the hunt for Gutierrez Molina.

"There is simply a precise precocious probability that it is this person," helium said successful a social media post, adding that the assemblage is being taken to the coroner's bureau successful Medellin for identification. "We explicit our solidarity to his household and friends. I person conscionable personally delivered the achy quality to his father, who is successful Medellin."

Fico Gutierrez said an probe is underway. Additional details were not instantly available.

Carranza told CBS News that, aft not being capable to scope him, Gutierrez Molina's telephone appeared to beryllium pinging to 2 locations successful Medellin that were not adjacent his hotel.

"Both locations were obscurity adjacent wherever helium was expected to slumber for the night," Carranza said.  

Adding to the enigma was that the different formation attendant who went retired with Gutierrez Molina connected Saturday said she could not retrieve parts of the night, his friend, Sharom Gil, told CBS News.

In a connection provided to CBS News Texas, American Airlines said it was "actively engaged with section instrumentality enforcement officials successful their probe and doing each we tin to enactment our squad member's household during this time."

When reached by CBS News Texas, the U.S. Embassy successful Colombia said it was "restricted from speaking astir about idiosyncratic cases owed to national privateness laws."

The State Department besides said successful its ain connection 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 nary greater precedence than the information and information of Americans, and the State Department stands acceptable to supply each consular assistance to Americans successful request abroad," the State Department said Thursday.

José Diaz, Kathryn Krupnik and Cristian Benavides contributed to this report.

In:

• Colombia
• American Airlines