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Thursday, February 29, 2024

FBI Among Agencies Investigating Houstonian Who Vanished In Mexico, Sources Confirm To ABC 13

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat




Wednesday marks 16 days since Air Force veteran John Gamboa was last seen or heard from as he got set to return to Houston from Mexico City.

The FBI and other federal agencies are now investigating the disappearance of a Houston Air Force veteran who went missing in Mexico City.

Friends and family said the last time they saw or heard from John Gamboa was Feb. 16, when he arrived in the capital.

Eyewitness News reporter Alex Bozarjian's numerous calls and conversations with the FBI on behalf of John Gamboa's mother got the ball rolling on this.

Multiple sources confirm they're pursuing investigative leads both here and in Mexico.

Fermina Gamboa, John Gamboa's mother, also said there was at least one withdrawal attempt from her son's account the day after he went missing.

"I am just saying that whoever holds my son, please let him go," Fermina Gamboa said.

It's been 12 grueling days for Fermina Gamboa, who spoke to ABC13 last Thursday pleading for her son's safe return from Mexico City.




A Houston Air Force veteran is believed to be missing after his mom says he had plans to travel to Mexico City last week.

She told ABC13 she was too distraught to speak to us on camera this week, but her message is still the same.

"Money can be replaced, but life cannot. We only have one life," she said.

Multiple sources, including friends, now confirm a rough timeline of his movements before he went missing.

They said he arrived in Mexico City on the night of Feb. 16 and then took an Uber to his Airbnb. A friend provided ABC13 with photos of his belongings left behind in the room.

At about 11:30 p.m., John Gamboa reportedly went to Montana's Disco and Bar alone. According to his friends, that's his last known location.

"I am not sure honestly if he's even alive," Fermina Gamboa said.

A missing person's flyer has since surfaced from La Fiscalia General de Justicia, Mexico's attorney general's office.

Retired FBI agent Jim Conway said the feds can't conduct investigations in Mexico but use liaisons to communicate with authorities.

"The national police, the attorney general's office, the intelligence office, whatever it may be, and the process of the investigation begins, as it does traditionally, of gathering evidence, looking at cell phone activity, talking to witnesses. That all takes place," Conway, who's now president and managing director of Global Intel Strategies, said.

Sources confirmed to ABC13 that multiple federal agencies are actively investigating after we contacted them.

Eyewitness News also made U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher's office aware. They have since reached out to Fermina Gamboa.

Fletcher's office said in a statement:

"My heart goes out to John's mother, Fermina, and his loved ones during this difficult time. My team and I are monitoring the situation, and we are in contact with authorities about this ongoing situation. We will do everything we can to help bring John home."

Conway said the good news is that security services in Mexico City are relatively sophisticated, and they have historically had a good working relationship with the U.S.

"When I was there, we provided a lot of training, a lot of equipment under Plan Merida. We provided a lot of support to the Mexican security services, so hopefully that comes into play, and this will all have a happy ending," Conway said.

Fermina Gamboa said her son is a five-year Air Force veteran. She also said he gave her a double bone marrow transplant when she had cancer, which is a testament, she said, to what kind of man he is.

"He sacrificed himself just to extend my life," she said.



ABC 13

32 comments:

  1. Cool he was a golden boy… but why was he there in the first place?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The article says travel/vacation.

      Delete
    2. Gamboa was the name of a cartel boss.also,maby he was an airforce spook.

      Delete
    3. @2:19
      You mean the sauceda-gamboa brothers/family.
      With Don Goyo & Karis they also had another brother a Tango-xx not sure what his exact number was.
      This was wayyy bag say 10+ years ago

      I really doubt it
      Sooo many names/people

      Delete
    4. This guy is Filipino 😂 u moron

      Delete
  2. Yea, they’re going to return him in pieces

    ReplyDelete
  3. Que hacia en México este indio chino

    ReplyDelete
  4. His ugly ass thought he was special in Mexico because he came from Houston jeje

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well your ads thinks your special hahahaha wait until someone crawls in to your bedroom at three am and cuts you

      Delete
  5. Fucking guy wanted to die.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Express kidnapping gone bad, mainly kidnap to withdraw funds from their debit card.

      Delete
  6. Why doesn’t the FBI investigate Gonzalo Lira- American citizen journalist killed in a UKRAINIAN prison

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He loved putina and thats what happens to putina friends all the time, they get ill and die, some have car accidents and other fell out of windows. Did you not watch the news during the last 15 years. So many accidents, world is dangerous these days.

      Delete
  7. man you guys talking about why go to Mexico but none talking on why is he bar hopping and clubbing by himself in Mexico.......like bro isn't that like worst thing to do like all these thing run by cartels and you by yourself and possibly under alcohol or drugs. they gonna point that shit out as an easy target right away all you need is a chick to talk to him to him to distract him. stay safe kings don't fall for easy shit females be on that shit now a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Righttt!
      U defin needa cuate or 2 for those greedy Chilangos in cdmx

      But moreso for pick pockets thieves runnin up a huge tab etc
      I didnt think they killed/kidnapped much there

      Guess he mighta really went to a real shaddu barbor putero...
      Even the cariñosas dont recowmnd goinf to steip clubs as you'll get robbed ir even kidnapped in there

      Wonder what they'll find out

      Delete
  8. Probably got drugged at the Bar he went to or they got him after that bar visit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably some of that american fent

      Delete
  9. Which cartel controls the area where Montanas Disco and Bar is located?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All of them share a fractional percentage.

      Delete
    2. The Diaz brothers

      Delete
  10. Some of you have sad pathetic little lives to be insensitive to the potential loss of life. I’d say do better, but I doubt you ever will.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or the guy was a clueless idiot

      Delete
    2. I could care less what happens to a Chinese Filipino guy

      Delete
  11. Don’t tell me he doesn’t know what’s going on in meheco? Is he that stupid going to bars in cartel land?

    ReplyDelete
  12. People are escaping to America for their lives and he goes down there to bar hop..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Starting the day with huevos ranchero and some tequilas, enjoying the sun, walking all the streets and getting totally drunk in the evening and walking home at night. Love it.
      Looking forward to my next trip to awesome mexico.

      Delete
    2. 12:12 unfortunately he did not read BB, to be well informed of what can happen in Mexico.
      Let's see if the Mexican agencies work out in locating him.

      Delete
    3. 6:43 locating the carcass

      Delete
    4. 12:12 I live in S Texas (N Mexico) and we go to Mexico because we have family and business down there. It’s likely he didn’t go to CDMex just to bar hop (dumbass)

      Delete
  13. Don't they have clubs and bars in Houston? Why go all the way down there for that? Prayers for him and his family But he wasn't doing anything good down there; he flew there for a reason: Nada.bueno.

    ReplyDelete

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