Dallas hotel caterer reported missing
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Westin Galleria worker didn't return from trip last month to Mexico


10:31 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 8, 2005


By LAURENCE ILIFF and ANGELA KOCHERGA / The Dallas Morning News


MEXICO CITY – A Dallas catering executive was reported missing at the end of a trip to Mexico City, and the taxi driver who drove him to the airport said Wednesday that the man seemed nervous and exited the cab barefoot.

Eric Hinnant, 40, head of catering at the Westin Galleria Dallas, was to return home on Memorial Day after a long weekend in Mexico City, but friends in Dallas said he never boarded his flight that day.

Mexican and U.S. authorities have not heard from him, and a "missing person" search was under way. Mexican authorities were checking hospitals, police stations and other places he might have visited.

There were no immediate signs of foul play, and no ransom had been requested.

Foreigners visiting Mexico City are sometimes victims of "express kidnappings" in which they are forced to withdraw funds from their bank accounts and credit cards. The abductions, however, usually last a few hours to a couple of days.

More than 1,000 Americans were reported missing last year in Mexico, but the vast majority surfaced unharmed, according to the U.S. Embassy.

The taxi driver who took Mr. Hinnant to the airport said he seemed agitated.

"He was a little bit nervous ... he was grabbing his feet, and I thought he was wearing sandals," said Enrique Alvarez, a veteran cabdriver summoned by the W hotel to pick up Mr. Hinnant.

When Mr. Hinnant exited the cab, however, he was barefoot.

Mr. Alvarez said that Mr. Hinnant spoke very limited Spanish but did communicate a little.

"He was going to Dallas, and he had some problems," said Mr. Alvarez. "I thought he was acting strange, but we don't want to make our customers uncomfortable, so I left it alone."

The Mexico City office for missing persons is looking for Mr. Hinnant, and the U.S. Embassy had been informed.

In Dallas, Mr. Hinnant's friends said they did not initially worry about his delay.

"He's gone on vacation before and extended his stay if he's having a good time," said Donald Solomon, a longtime friend. "I didn't get concerned."

But Mr. Hinnant's roommate of seven years, Mason Norlander, said a strange voice mail left last Thursday shook him up.

The conversation was between two women in Spanish, with a male grunting in the background, he said.

"It really, really sounds like him," Mr. Norlander said.

Mr. Solomon said he also was convinced about the familiarity of the male voice.

But Mr. Solomon said the phone number that the voice mail was traced to was a fax line for an outreach center in Plano.

Mr. Hinnant has been the senior catering manager at the Westin Galleria Dallas for the last seven years. The hotel's general manager, John Everett, said Mr. Hinnant handles high-profile catering events.

The hotel was expecting Mr. Hinnant back to work on the Tuesday following Memorial Day, he said.

"Everyone is just very shocked," Mr. Everett said. "We're really concerned about Eric, but we're still staying very hopeful."

Dallas Morning News staff writer Laurence Iliff and Belo Television bureau chief Angela Kocherga reported from Mexico City. Staff writer Krystle Fernandez in Dallas contributed to this report.

E-mail liliff@dallasnews.com