A body was discovered Friday between the municipalities of Jerico and Puente Iglesias in Colombia during the search for Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, a 32-year-old American Airlines flight attendant who vanished during a layover in Medellin. The mayor of Medellin, Fico Gutierrez, announced the discovery on social media, saying the remains were being transported to the coroner's office for identification.

CBS News reported that the mayor did not confirm the body's identity but offered a grim assessment.

"There is a very high probability that it is this person."

He added that he had personally delivered the news to Gutierrez Molina's father, who is in Medellin.

"We express our solidarity to his family and friends. I have just personally delivered the painful news to his father, who is in Medellin."

An investigation is underway. Additional details were not immediately available.

A night out, then silence

Gutierrez Molina, a U.S. citizen and North Texas resident, went missing Saturday evening after a night out with a fellow flight attendant. The two had visited a bar in Medellin's El Poblado neighborhood. He was scheduled to work a return flight from Medellin to Miami on Sunday.

His longtime partner, Ernesto Carranza, told CBS News he became worried Sunday morning when he couldn't reach Gutierrez Molina. His phone appeared to be pinging to two locations in Medellin, neither of which made sense.

"Both locations were nowhere near where he was supposed to sleep for the night."

A friend, Sharom Gil, told CBS News that the other flight attendant said she could not remember parts of the night. That detail raises obvious questions, though the other flight attendant has not been publicly identified and no direct statement from her has been reported.

Official responses

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."

The U.S. Embassy in Colombia said it was "restricted from speaking about most individual cases due to federal privacy laws." The State Department, as of Thursday, said it was "aware" of the "reports" 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."

Americans abroad and the dangers they face

This case is a stark reminder that American citizens traveling or working abroad remain vulnerable, sometimes in countries that market themselves as welcoming tourist destinations while struggling with deep public safety problems.

Medellin has undergone a well-publicized reinvention over the past two decades, attracting digital nomads, tourists, and international business. But the city's violent undercurrents have not disappeared. They've just gotten better at staying out of the travel brochures.

A 32-year-old flight attendant goes out for the evening during a routine layover and never comes back. A companion can't recall what happened. A phone pings from locations that don't match the plan. Within days, a body turns up between two rural municipalities outside the city. None of this is normal. All of it demands answers.

The State Department's posture here is exactly right: clear prioritization of American safety and a commitment to consular support. What matters now is that Colombian authorities conduct a transparent investigation with full cooperation from U.S. officials.

Families of Americans who travel for work, whether as flight crew, contractors, or service members, deserve to know that their government will press hard for accountability when something goes wrong overseas.

For now, a family waits for a coroner's confirmation they are praying won't come. An investigation grinds forward in a foreign country. And a man who was supposed to fly home on Sunday never boarded the plane.