MISSING PERSON
CASE #: 2019-88
Pauline Del Mundo
Status:
Open
Date of Last Contact:
Date of Last Contact:
Jurisdiction:
Missing From:
Dallas, Texas
Summary:
Pauline Del Mundo (also known as Paula, legal name Paulino Norberto Del Mundo Jr.) was a 59-year-old transgender woman from Tampa, Florida who disappeared on September 14, 2019, during a layover at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport while traveling to Cozumel, Mexico. She has not been found, and her disappearance remains unsolved.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Disappearance:
Pauline Del Mundo arrived at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport on September 14, 2019, with a connecting American Airlines flight to Cozumel, Mexico scheduled for a 10-day vacation. Shortly before 6:00 p.m., she called her sister in California sounding uncharacteristically incoherent and depressed, stating she had changed her mind about the trip and needed a ticket back to Tampa. Surveillance footage from the airport captured her leaving Terminal C at 10:30 p.m. She walked approximately 2.5 miles up International Parkway away from the terminal, toward the south service road, passing a valet gate. At 1:48 a.m. on September 15, she was seen on video footage heading toward the airport's warehouse district. At 3:52 a.m., video showed her at the intersection of Airfield and 5 Airfield where she abruptly stood up and walked away, going around a DFW Airport sign and heading east. The trail went cold after 4:00 a.m. She never boarded her flight to Mexico, never checked into her Cozumel hotel, and has never been heard from again.
Additional Details:
Del Mundo was born in the Philippines and was a naturalized U.S. citizen with dual citizenship. She worked as a certified nursing assistant at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Florida. At the time of her disappearance, she was recovering from rotator cuff surgery, which had caused her depression. She had not legally changed her name from her birth name, Paulino Norberto Del Mundo Japor Jr., so documents she was carrying would reflect that name. Her family expressed concern for her safety given the recent murders of transgender women in the Dallas area. The Community United Effort (CUE) Center for Missing Persons conducted physical searches of the airport area with K9 dogs and volunteers, including searches in 2020. The warehouse area where she was last seen is technically airport property but leased to private companies, surrounded by construction ditches, ravines, swampy areas, a small lake, and wooded, brushy areas. DFW Airport Police Department initially investigated with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department and Tampa police. As of 2020 (approximately one year after her disappearance), her family continued searching with support from organizations including Malaya Movement Northern Texas.
Case Last Updated:
Timeline of Events
Her sisters discover she never boarded flight to Mexico and did not check into Cozumel hotel
Surveillance footage shows her heading toward warehouse district near valet gate
Last confirmed sighting: video shows her at Airfield and 5 Airfield intersection standing up and walking away eastward, disappearing around a DFW Airport sign
Surveillance trail goes cold; she is never seen or heard from again
Shortly before 6:00 p.m., she calls her sister in California sounding incoherent and depressed, asking for help getting a ticket back to Tampa
Surveillance footage captures her leaving Terminal C and walking up International Parkway away from airport toward south service road
Pauline Del Mundo arrives at DFW International Airport on flight from Tampa
Associated Persons
Lilia A. (Sister) - Living
Lolita G. (Sister) - Living
Yolanda D. (Sister) - Living
Family Tree
Why is this important?Missing person
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Missing Person
Missing Person
Case Content Disclaimer: The details on this case page are sourced from numerous locations to include family, friends, news postings and government public releases. Solve the Case, Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy of any content as case pages are living documents that frequently update as case details expand.
