On November, 10, 2022, American-Vietnamese tourist Paul Nguyen was declared missing in the streets of Medellin. Last seen in Laureles, his body would be discovered a day later after having succumbed to a lethal dose of the infamous scopolamine drug – a growing trend which has been worrying both locals and foreigners alike.
Last weekend (1/04/23) authorities in Medellin confirmed both the capture and prosecution of three people, one women and two men, allegedly involved in the said assassination of 27 year old Paul Nguyen.
Paul Nguyen of Los Angeles, a young American with Vietnamese dual-nationality, made a trip to Medellin in November 2023. His dream vacation to the City of Eternal Spring ended up leaving his family and friends in ruins after his body was found dumped in Comuna 7 (Robledo).
Nguyen, like many foreigners coming to Medellin, had been using Tinder in an attempt to find female company while in the city. Unfortunately, he found himself in the company of a nefarious woman and (also unbeknown to him) a gang of thieves.
After meeting his ‘date’ in the trendy neighbourhood of Laureles (Wednesday, Nov 9), Paul’s last moments were left in the dark as nobody knew the details of what transpired after. After an emotional endeavour from his loved ones who were alarmed by his lack of communication, his body was found right next to a dumpster in a lower-income area of the city, a day later.
It would appear that Paul was drugged, robbed and ultimately murdered.
Paul unknowingly uploaded to social media what would become critical evidence/ID of his perpetrator.
After collaborating with the Medellin sub-Reddit, his family determiend that Paul was lured into a car with this alleged date. Soon after, his card was used at a pharmacy, but apparently not by an Asian individual.
By 4 am, all of his cards had been swiped, an action that indicated something ominous going on.
Leading the fight for justice back home was his driven sister, Amy.
She generated over $35,000 as part of a Gofundme campaign to bring her brother back safe and sound. Despite the worst, justice had still been availed, until now…
This weekend, after months of sustained investigating, The Metropolitan Police captured two men and the woman last seen with Nguyen.
During the investigation, they established that the woman who had met with Nguyen via Tinder had actually changed the colour of her hair in an attempt to evade the action of the authorities.
Currently, the authorities are hot on the tail of two other individuals that they believe to be involved in the homicide. Key in this investigation has been the video evidence recorded in various establishments throughout the neighbourhoods of Los Colores, where his captors had made some purchases.
We have some updates according to latest information by El Tiempo:
After uploading this article to a Facebook group, I have been made aware that this result would not have been possible without the concerted effort of others outside of the police.
Behind the scenes and over the course of 5 months, family and friends have endured this ordeal in search of answers.
On behalf of an individual that has been critical in this process, I want to call out WYN Insiders – Medellin for their legal and investigative team. “This could not have happened without them along with Paul’s family’s continued investment toward justice.”
Sadly. This is not an uncommon event with at least 3 foreigners being killed under this modality in 2022.
This isn’t going to bring Paul back to his loved ones. It appears now however, they may see some degree of justice. If so, such a result (the result of a concerted effort) should make others think twice before perpetrating heinous crimes.
Let’s not forget, Medellin is a city that is currently in fashion. Last year was its best for tourism with over 1.5 million foreign visitors coming to visit. It does not the serve the interest of the city to allow such events to happen and even less when they evade any sort of proper resolution.
With the prevalance of dating apps such as Tinder in much of the world, we can not blame Nguyen for using them during his short stay in Medellin. Furthermore, we can’t expect to this not keep happening because there’ll always be people using Tinder. I have long warned people of the dangers of these apps. Medellin is full of beautiful women, but this opens up the risk to these types of events which are common.
Encouraging is that the number of individuals linked to this case is set to rise, potentially implicating and exposing a broader criminal network.
We do not yet know any further details of the case but expect to see events, including sentencings, unfold in the subsequent days and weeks. Stay tuned.
La investigación está relacionada con el homicidio de Paul Phong Nguyen, de 28 años, cuyo cadáver fue hallado por las autoridades la mañana del 10 de noviembre de 2022, junto a un basurero del barrio Robledo en Medellín, sin aparentes señales de violencia.https://t.co/8PGqe8xPLk pic.twitter.com/yggcQwtJ26
— Fiscalía Colombia (@FiscaliaCol) April 4, 2023
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