Six years after she vanished during a layover at Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, the family of Pauline “Paula” Del Mundo is still searching for answers and asking the public for help.

Del Mundo, 59 at the time, never boarded her connecting flight to Cozumel after arriving from Tampa on Sept. 15, 2019. Airport police reviewed surveillance video showing her moving through multiple terminals before she was last observed on camera at 3:52 a.m., according to DFW Airport Police. Her rolling bag was later unaccounted for. She was described that day as wearing a white shirt and lavender pants.

Del Mundo’s sisters say Paula phoned and texted family members from the airport, sounding disoriented and afraid. One sister recalled advising her to ask for directions to the gate; by early evening, Paula indicated she wanted to abandon the trip and fly home instead, but her phone battery was dying. Family members began calling police that night.

Jurisdiction initially proved confusing for relatives in Florida and California who were trying to file a report. The case ultimately fell to DFW Airport Police, which functions as a full police department for the 30-square-mile airport campus.

“We’re invested in this case and want answers,” said Sgt. Bobby Castillo of DFW Airport Police. The agency has conducted ground searches, deployed drones and worked with outside teams, including canines and divers, in the months after the disappearance. A dive team searched areas near the airfield in August and again in September 2020. Officers also reported checking for signs of life through Paula’s digital footprint and with airline and federal partners.

In November 2020, volunteer searchers reported finding a piece of fabric similar to an item Paula had been seen wearing; police said it was submitted to the state lab for potential DNA comparison. Results have not been publicly announced.

A life built around family, faith and care work

Born in the Philippines, Del Mundo immigrated to the United States after a lengthy petition process and became a U.S. citizen on July 4, 2015, her sisters said. She trained and worked as a certified nursing assistant, first in California and later at a VA hospital in Tampa, where coworkers and patients recognized her with multiple “gold star” commendations for kindness and attentiveness.

Her sisters describe Paula as upbeat, stylish and generous - a devoted Catholic who prayed the rosary, doted on relatives, loved animals and reliably brought homemade meals for coworkers and family. In high school, they recall, she was the “life of the party,” a strong swing dancer and occasional beauty and dance-contest winner.

Family members also say Paula had weathered personal and medical challenges, including a work-related shoulder injury and periods of anxiety. In the weeks leading up to the Mexico trip, they noticed she seemed quieter and worried about money.

Reconstructing the final known hours

Police and family members pieced together this timeline:

• Sept. 14–15, 2019 - Del Mundo flies from Tampa to DFW for a connection to Cozumel. She calls her sister around 10:30 a.m.  seeking the gate; later that day, she indicates she wants to return to Florida.
  
  

• Overnight into Sept. 15 - Cameras follow her through terminals and to outlying airport property. She is last seen at 3:52 a.m.
  
  

• Late September 2019–2020 - DFW officers conduct ground and drone searches; canines search targeted areas; divers search water features near the airfield.
  
  

• Nov. 2020 - Volunteers locate fabric that police submit to the state lab for DNA testing.
  
  

Relatives say HIPAA privacy rules complicated their attempts to check hospitals for unidentified patients. They continue to press for updates and wider awareness.

“It’s been six years, and we still don’t know what happened,” one sister said. “If someone knows something - even the smallest detail - please come forward.”

Description and contact

At the time she disappeared, Paula Del Mundo was 5-foot-7 with a slender build, last seen wearing a white shirt and lavender pants at DFW. She is a transgender woman originally from the Philippines and a U.S. citizen living in Tampa, Florida.

Anyone with information is urged to contact DFW Airport Police at 214-489-7867.