Two Suspects Arrested in Colombia Killing of American Airlines Flight Attendant, Tied to Tourist-Targeting Gang

Colombian authorities have arrested two men accused of drugging and killing an American Airlines flight attendant during a layover in Medellín, months after his disappearance triggered an international manhunt.

Andrés Felipe Peña Corrales, 23, and William Olave Gamboa, 31, were captured in Peru, according to authorities cited by Fox News. Both face charges of aggravated homicide and aggravated robbery in Colombia. Peña Corrales has already been transferred to Colombia to face those charges, while Olave Gamboa remains in Peruvian custody pending extradition.

The victim, Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, was a Dallas-based flight attendant who disappeared in March during a layover in Medellín. His body was found five days later near Jericó, a town southwest of the city, according to authorities.

A third suspect, María del Carmen González, 24, was arrested separately in Montería, Colombia. Investigators say she wasn't directly involved in the killing but allegedly helped withdraw and move money stolen from foreign victims.

Alleged Gang Tactics

Colombian police have identified all three suspects as alleged members of Los Goteros, a criminal organization accused of targeting foreign tourists through dating apps, according to Fox News. The alleged method: make contact online, build trust, then drug and rob victims once they're isolated.

According to reporting from El Colombiano, cited by Fox News, investigators believe Gutierrez Molina was contacted through a dating app before meeting several people at a nightclub in Medellín's El Poblado neighborhood, a popular tourist and nightlife district. The group allegedly moved to a hotel, where Gutierrez Molina and a coworker were drugged before their belongings were stolen and their financial accounts accessed.

El Colombiano reported that scopolamine, sometimes called "Devil's Breath" or "Dragon's Breath," may have been used to incapacitate the victims. Authorities have not publicly confirmed toxicology results in the case, so that detail remains an allegation from the outlet's reporting rather than a confirmed finding.

Gutierrez Molina was reportedly strangled. His coworker survived the attack.

An International Investigation

The arrests came after a months-long joint investigation involving U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and Colombian prosecutors, according to Fox News. The case underscores a pattern U.S. officials have flagged repeatedly this year: gangs operating in Colombian tourist hubs like Medellín using dating apps as bait to target foreigners, including Americans.

This isn't an isolated warning. Fox News has separately reported on U.S. travel advisories flagging popular routes this summer as carrying elevated crime and kidnapping risks, and on other cases involving suspects who used dating apps to target victims. Whether those warnings translate into any policy response from the State Department or airlines remains unclear.

What's Still Unresolved

Olave Gamboa's extradition from Peru to Colombia has not been completed, and no trial date has been set for either him or Peña Corrales. González's exact role and any charges specific to her remain to be detailed by Colombian prosecutors.

Authorities haven't confirmed how many other victims Los Goteros allegedly targeted, or whether additional suspects remain at large. The scopolamine claim, while consistent with known tactics used by similar criminal networks in Colombia, has not been confirmed through official toxicology reporting in this specific case.

For American travelers, the case adds to a growing list of documented incidents in which tourists meeting people through dating apps in Medellín have ended up drugged and robbed. Whether Delta, American, or other airlines with international crew layovers in the region will adjust safety protocols for crew members following this case is an open question neither the airline nor Colombian authorities have addressed publicly.