{"id":29743,"date":"2026-08-06T11:06:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=29743"},"modified":"2026-08-06T11:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:06:34","slug":"american-airlines-flight-attendants-alleged-killers-tied-to-gang-accused-of-preying-on-tourists-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=29743","title":{"rendered":"American Airlines flight attendant&#8217;s alleged killers tied to gang accused of preying on tourists: officials"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F136615969.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Two men accused of <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/26\/us-news\/american-airlines-flight-attendant-from-dallas-missing-in-colombia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drugging and killing an American Airlines flight attendant during a layover\u00a0in Colombia<\/a>\u00a0have been arrested months after the slaying, authorities said, with the suspects allegedly tied to a gang known to prey on tourists.<\/p>\n<p>Andr\u00e9s Felipe Pe\u00f1a Corrales, 23, and William Olave Gamboa, 31, were captured in Peru in connection with the March killing of Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, a Dallas-based flight attendant whose disappearance in Medell\u00edn sparked an international search.<\/p>\n<p>Pe\u00f1a Corrales has since been transferred to Colombia to face charges, while Olave Gamboa remains in Peruvian custody awaiting extradition proceedings. Both men face charges including aggravated homicide and aggravated robbery in Colombia, according to authorities.<\/p>\n<p>A third suspect, Mar\u00eda del Carmen Gonz\u00e1lez, 24, was arrested separately in Monter\u00eda, Colombia. Investigators allege she was not directly involved in Gutierrez Molina\u2019s killing but participated in withdrawing and moving money stolen from foreign victims as part of the group\u2019s operation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>American Airlines flight attendant Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina was killed during a layover in Medell\u00edn, Colombia. <span class=\"credit\">Family Handout<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Colombian police identified all three suspects as alleged members of Los Goteros, a\u00a0criminal organization\u00a0accused of\u00a0targeting foreign tourists\u00a0by contacting them\u00a0through dating apps, gaining their trust, drugging them and stealing money, jewelry and other valuables.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elcolombiano.com\/medellin\/capturas-muerte-auxiliar-vuelo-eric-fernando-gutierrez-medellin-FL39457435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to reporting by El Colombiano<\/a>, investigators believe Gutierrez Molina was\u00a0contacted through a dating app\u00a0before meeting several people at a nightclub in Medell\u00edn\u2019s El Poblado neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>The group later went to a hotel, where Gutierrez Molina and his coworker were allegedly drugged before their belongings were stolen and their financial accounts were accessed, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet also reported\u00a0that scopolamine, sometimes called \u201cDevil\u2019s Breath\u201d or \u201cDragon\u2019s Breath,\u201d may have been used to incapacitate the victims, though authorities have not publicly confirmed toxicology findings in the case.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Andr\u00e9s Felipe Pe\u00f1a Corrales, 23, was arrested in connection to the killing. <span class=\"credit\">U.S. Embassy Bogota<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gutierrez Molina was reportedly strangled, while his coworker survived.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators allege the group accessed Gutierrez Molina\u2019s bank accounts, stole other valuables and abandoned his body near Jeric\u00f3, southwest of Medell\u00edn, where it was found five days later.<\/p>\n<p>The arrests capped a months-long international investigation involving\u00a0US Homeland Security Investigations, Colombian prosecutors and Peruvian authorities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis successful outcome reflects the strong commitment of the United States, Colombia and Peru to work together to investigate and bring to justice a group of criminals in Colombia dedicated to the robbery and theft of US citizens and ensure the safety of international travelers in the region,\u201d the US Embassy in Colombia said in a joint statement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>William Olave Gamboa, 31, was also arrested in connection to the killing for the American Airlines flight attendant. <span class=\"credit\">U.S. Embassy Bogota<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The embassy also recognized the Mayor\u2019s Office of Medell\u00edn, Colombia\u2019s National Police and Peru\u2019s National Police for their roles in the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Friends told local media at the time that he shared his location from an Airbnb near Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda C\u00f3rdova International Airport before communication suddenly stopped, prompting coworkers and family members to\u00a0report him missing.<\/p>\n<p>Days later, Medell\u00edn Mayor Federico Guti\u00e9rrez announced that authorities had recovered a body near Jeric\u00f3. The remains were later identified as Gutierrez Molina.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are heartbroken by the tragic passing of our colleague,\u201d American Airlines said in a statement previously provided to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur thoughts and support are with his family, loved ones and colleagues during this difficult time, and we are doing all we can to assist Colombian law enforcement in its investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Authorities said investigators are working to determine whether additional foreign tourists were victimized by Los Goteros using the same alleged scheme.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two men accused of drugging and killing an American Airlines flight attendant during a layover\u00a0in Colombia\u00a0have been arrested months after the slaying, authorities said, with the suspects allegedly tied to a gang known to prey on tourists. Andr\u00e9s Felipe Pe\u00f1a Corrales, 23, and William Olave Gamboa, 31, were captured in Peru in connection with the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/136615969.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}