American Airlines flight attendants based at Dallas Forth Worth International Airport are holding a vigil for their slain coworker, Eric Fernando Gutierrez, as he takes his final flight back to his home base, days after his body was found between the municipalities of Jerico and Puente Iglesias in Colombia.
Eric had arrived in Medellín on March 24 during a work trip and went out with a female flight attendant to a nightclub in the El Poblado neighborhood. At the end of the night, Eric decided to stay out with a group of men he met at the club, while the female crew member went back to the hotel.
The following day, Eric failed to show up at the hotel for his next flight to Miami. Eric’s friends quickly raised the alarm, and a frantic search began in the hope of tracking down his whereabouts.
Days later, the mayor of Medellín, Fico Gutierrez, confirmed that Eric’s body had been discovered. Eric’s father, who had traveled to Medellín to help in the search for his son, had the heartbreaking task of confirming that the body was Eric.
On Wednesday, Eric’s body was transported on an American Airlines flight from Medellín to Miami to transport him home.
Once in Miami, Eric’s coffin, wrapped in an American Airlines flag, was carefully loaded onto an Airbus A321 aircraft for the final two and a half hour flight back to Dallas Fort Worth.
An honor guard of American Airlines employees observed the coffin being loaded onboard Flight AA-3067 at Miami International Airport ahead of his scheduled departure to DFW.
On arrival at DFW, American Airlines flight attendants will hold a terminal-side vigil as the plane arrives at the gate.
“This news is incredibly heavy and difficult to process. For many, it brings an overwhelming mix of shock, sadness, and heartbreak—feelings that are not easily put into words. Eric is not just a name or a headline—he is one of our own,” the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) said in an update to its members.
“He is a colleague who shared our skies, a familiar face in our operation, and someone who mattered deeply to those who knew and loved him.”
The memo continued: “This loss is not isolated—it is felt across our entire Flight Attendant group, in every base, every crew room, and on every flight where we rely on one another for support. Even those who may not have known Eric personally can feel the weight of this tragedy.”
“Our hearts are with Eric’s longtime partner, his family, his friends, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him. There are no words that can truly ease this kind of loss, but we stand together—in grief, in compassion, and in unwavering support.”
It’s feared that Eric may have been the victim of scopolamine drugging, a powerful motion sickness medication that is often referred to as ‘Devil’s Breath’ due to its use by criminals to drug unsuspecting victims.
According to Dipa Kamdar, a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University, the drug “has gained a dark reputation as a substance that can erase memory, strip away free will and facilitate serious crimes.”
Most reports about the use of Devil’s Breath are in Colombia, where criminals use it to cause their victims temporary but severe memory loss. Victims of Devil’s Breath poisoning report suffering hallucinations, confusion, and a complete loss of control.
In the media, the effects of Devil’s Breath have been described as turning victims into ‘Zombies.’
