An American vlogger who went missing in the Philippines was shot dead and his body dumped at sea during a failed kidnapping attempt.
Elliot Eastman, 26, reportedly died on the night of his abduction from his home in Sibuco, a poverty-stricken town in Zamboanga del Norte, on 17 October.
Authorities believe Eastman was shot in the leg while resisting the gunmen, who posed as police officers. He is thought to have succumbed to his injuries while being transported on a boat.
Lieutenant Colonel Ramoncelio Sawan, acting spokesman for the Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula, stated: “During our investigation in late October, a witness claimed Eastman had been shot during the abduction. The abductors noticed he was already dead while escaping by sea and threw his body into the water.”
Initially treating the account as speculative, authorities verified it in November after capturing a suspect linked to the kidnapping. The suspect provided an extrajudicial confession, confirming that Eastman was shot and his body disposed of at sea. The confession has been submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office, which has accepted the complaint.
Eastman’s family has been informed through the US Embassy. Despite weeks of searching, authorities have yet to locate his body or determine the motive behind the abduction.
Eastman, a YouTuber, was reportedly at home with his Muslim Filipina wife, Karisha Jala, when four armed men burst in around 10 pm on 17 October. The attackers, falsely claiming to be police, shot Eastman in the leg when he resisted. He was then taken away in a speedboat off the coast of Zamboanga del Norte, one of the most dangerous regions in the Philippines.
Police arrived at the scene an hour later and documented evidence, including bloodstains believed to be from Eastman’s gunshot wound and an M16 bullet cartridge.
Former Sibuco Mayor Norbideiri Edding suggested the kidnappers might have targeted Eastman under the assumption that he was a wealthy foreigner and because of his relationship with a local Muslim woman.
Eastman had expressed concerns for his safety just weeks before the abduction. In a Facebook livestream on 22 September, he said: “As long as I’m here, my life is still at risk. This area that I’m in is like the most dangerous area in the country… It’s literally the red zone.”
The ongoing investigation has involved clashes with armed kidnapping groups on Mindanao, a conflict-ridden island in the Philippines.
