TAMPA, Fla. — Patients are confused and angry after a Tampa orthodontist’s office suddenly closed, leaving them without care or answers about what’s going on.
The ABC Action News I-Team dug into this doctor’s mysterious disappearance.
Dr. Manuel Alejandro Gutierrez, who goes by Alex, has treated Tampa patients for more than a decade.
But since late last year, the doctor is nowhere to be found.
“I’m pretty sure everybody feels...mistreated. It’s uncalled for,” said Danielle Machado.
Machado’s son and daughter are both teenage patients who have braces that haven’t been adjusted for months. We ran into Machado outside of Gutierrez’s office, where we went to try to interview him.
“I have tried to contact them by their email. That does not work. I’ve tried to use the text line that they give to patients, and that does not work,” she said.
When asked if she had any idea what was going on, Machado replied, “I have no idea.”
No sign of the orthodontist or his staff
The office is still filled with furniture but looks abandoned. The phone is disconnected. The website’s down. The front door’s locked, and dozens of letters and magazines are piled up under the mail chute.
The only explanation at the office is a vague, undated note blaming a system problem and saying the office would be closed for three weeks.
“They keep saying it’s about their system is down,” Machado said.
“That’s total bull. I mean, a phone system is down, and you have to close for three weeks? “ said Riffel.
Riffel is an attorney who works in the same office complex.
“He hasn’t been there for four to five months. Something strange is going on,” Riffel said.
Riffel paid Gutierrez thousands for Invisalign, a custom teeth-straightening system.
“It’s made a big improvement. I just want to finish it,” Riffel said.
Riffel said he’s worried he won’t be able to get the remaining aligners he needs.
“I paid for them. They’re in his building. But I need to get access to them,” Riffel said.
Machado said she will probably have to pay another orthodontist to remove her son’s and daughter’s braces and apply new ones since she can’t even get their records.
“I know I’ve spent over the last five years probably $10,000 with him,” she said.
We emailed, texted, and called Dr. Gutierrez but didn’t hear back from him or his staff. So we went to his home to look for him.
“There’s been no one in that house for months”
No one answered the door, and no cars were in the driveway.
“Just gone. Absolutely just gone. Disappeared completely,” said Michael Macguire, who lives across the street.
Macguire said he used to see Gutierrez come and go daily, but all activity at the home suddenly stopped.
“There’s been no one in that house for months. It’s just sitting there,” he said.
We dug deeper and found his patients aren’t the only people looking for him; so are the police.
A pending divorce and arrest warrant
An arrest warrant signed by a judge in February alleges Gutierrez violated probation after failing to report to a January appointment, not paying for three months of supervision fees, and not proving he enrolled in multiple offender DUI school.
Records show Gutierrez pleaded guilty to reckless driving last year after originally being charged with driving under the influence.
Court and jail records do not indicate he has been arrested on the warrant. But records also show he also going through a divorce.
His patients hope he’ll get whatever personal issues he has straightened out soon, so he can get back to straightening their teeth.
“This is peoples’ children’s mouths,” Machado said.
“I can’t move forward. I want to finish this process and get it over with. I paid for it, and it’s in his building,” Riffel said.
We’ve reached out to the Florida Department of Health and asked what patients should do, but they haven’t responded.
Here’s a link to file a complaint with the state if you have any issues with a health provider’s care.
If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com.
