The Argentine bartender Pablo Emilio Carrizo Hryc, 45, who had been intensively searched for since August 18, was found dead on September 4 in the city of Montería, in the department of Córdoba, in the Colombian Caribbean. The news was confirmed by local authorities and replicated by media in that country.
What happened?
Carrizo had arrived in Medellín to carry out a gastronomic consultancy at a restaurant. On August 18, at 10:11 in the morning, he left a hotel in the exclusive neighborhood of El Poblado in his gray Nissan model 2017 car. From that moment on, nothing more was heard from him.
The initial hypotheses handled by investigators pointed to a possible forced disappearance or an accident. However, the discovery of the body in Montería, about 500 kilometers from Medellín, changed the course of the investigation.
The accident hypothesis
According to official sources, Carrizo's body was found in a rural area of Montería. Experts are working with the hypothesis of a traffic accident on the route connecting Medellín with Cartagena, one of the busiest roads in Colombia. It is being investigated whether a mechanical failure of the vehicle could have caused the incident.
The bartender's car had not been located until the time of the discovery, which reinforces the theory that the accident occurred on a stretch of the road where there are no cameras or witnesses.
A professional with an international career
Pablo Carrizo was a renowned bartender with a career spanning more than 20 years. He trained as a Bachelor in Hotel Business Administration at the University of Morón, in Argentina, and later specialized in classic and modern mixology, bar management, sommelier, and cooking.
He worked in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Colombia, where he had resided for several years. In Colombia, he served as ambassador of the World Class Competition since 2011, an international contest that awards the best bartenders in the world.
At the time of his disappearance, he lived in Cartagena with his ex-wife and daughter. According to his close friends, he planned to travel to Cartagena to see his family after finishing the consultancy in Medellín.
Reactions in the mixology world
The news of his death generated a wave of sadness in the gastronomic and bartending community of Argentina and Colombia. Federico “Fede” Cuco, a reference in Argentine mixology, published an emotional farewell on his social media, highlighting Carrizo's warmth and professionalism.
“A great one has left. Thank you for everything, Pablo. Rest in peace,” wrote Cuco.
Colleagues from different countries also expressed their sorrow and remembered his generosity in sharing knowledge and his passion for mixology.
Ongoing investigation
Colombian authorities continue with the forensic examinations to determine the exact causes of the accident and confirm whether another vehicle was involved. It is expected that in the coming days the autopsy will be performed and the body will be handed over to the family for repatriation.
The case of Pablo Carrizo moves the Argentine community in Colombia and the entire mixology world, which loses one of its most beloved and talented exponents.