A California man was reportedly found dead after going on a Tinder date during a vacation in Medellin, Colombia.
Paul Nguyen, 27, was traveling abroad for the first time when he left for the South American country with a friend last week, his family said.
There, Nguyen met a woman on Tinder and went on a date with her on Nov. 9. He was last seen at a bar with the same woman at around 2 a.m. the next day, according to reports.
Later that morning, Nguyen’s body was found next to garbage receptacles, according to Peruvian newspaper El Comercio. A man who was not apparently Asian was reported to have used his cards in the hours that he went missing.
Nguyen’s family in Orange County are searching for answers. They believe his date lured him into a robbery.
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Prior to disappearing, the Cal State Fullerton graduate reportedly managed to take a Snapchat photo of his alleged date. He wrote in the caption, “The language barrier is unreal.”
Colombian police suspect Nguyen was drugged.
“They took all of his stuff and his belongings. We know all his cards were swiped after 4 a.m.,” Nguyen’s sister Amy told ABC7. “We believe there were multiple people involved and she was just there to lure him and set him up.”
Amy organized a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to raise money for her brother’s return and funeral. She described him as her “older brother who was always there to take care of me.”
“He is a victim of a cruel and senseless crime. These people chose money and greed over a single thought of my brother’s life,” Amy wrote. “He was there to support me through my ups and downs. He was my shoulder to cry on.”
Nguyen worked as a contractor, Amy said. As of this writing, her campaign has raised $35,535.
