American YouTuber living in Mindanao presumed dead after kidnapping—reports
An American YouTuber living in the Philippines—who was shot and abducted from Mindanao last October—was most likely killed by his kidnappers, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.
International media, including the New York Times, reported that Elliot Eastman, 26, had been living in Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte since May. But on Oct. 17, men who falsely introduced themselves as policemen carried him away in a boat.
Eastman sustained two leg wounds, one in the leg when he was first shot and one in his stomach, according to PNP.
His body had not yet been found, the police said, but they believe his abductors threw it overboard after he died on the boat.
The police have taken four men into custody since the abduction. Four other suspects remain at large.
PNP spokesperson Jean Fajardo said testimony from one of the men led the police to believe that Eastman died on the day he was taken.
The Associated Press, meanwhile, reported that three suspects were killed in a gunbattle with police last month.
Regional police spokesperson Ramoncelio Sawan said investigators received information from a relative of one of the suspects that Eastman died due to gunshot wounds in the thigh and abdomen while being taken away by his abductors.
The kidnappers then threw his body into the sea after he died, the relative said.
Sawan said the information was later corroborated by a key suspect who was recently arrested. The suspect's sworn statement has been submitted to government prosecutors.
“We are constrained to believe that he has died. All of the information that we have points to that,” Sawan said.
However, the spokesperson added that without the victim’s body, “we’re still leaving a little bit of hope that it may not be the case" and that they will continue their investigation.
Eastman's kidnapping was first reported by his father-in-law, AbdulMali Hamsiran Jala, according to the Times.
Jala told the police that four men wearing black clothing and face covers had forcibly entered Eastman’s house and taken him away.
Eastman resisted and ran before being shot in the leg with a rifle. The abductors then put him on a white boat and headed out to sea.
Eastman of Vermont had vlogged about his daily life while in the Philippines.
According to his YouTube profile, he "met the love of my life deep in the mountains of the red zone of the Philippines."
"I will be showing you my day-to-day life as the first and only foreigner to have ever lived here in Sibuco for a long period of time," he wrote.
The page has over 4,500 subscribers. Eastman's last published video was on Oct. 15.
His videos, ranging from 3 to 15 minutes, give a glimpse of his quiet life, including his swimming adventures and his time with his wife.
