Missing US vlogger repeatedly warned to avoid Zamboanga area – police

A man points to a believed to be bloodstain in the sand in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte on October 18, 2024, where abducted American national Elliot Onil Eastman was shot by gunmen. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The missing American national had been repeatedly warned by Zamboanga authorities to avoid the area, police said on Monday.

Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Police Office spokesperson, Lt. Col. Helen Galvez, stated that Elliot Onil had been cautioned due to reports of abductions in the municipality of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, and nearby towns. Eastman was reportedly abducted in the same area last Thursday.

“Perhaps, first of all, what we observed is his vulnerability. Because despite warnings from our local police that he should not stay in the area, he still insisted on staying. That area is very near the sea.,” Galvez said over radio dwPM.

Galvez said Eastman’s vlogging made him vulnerable from abductors.

READ: Authorities eye persons of interest in US citizen abduction

“According to our local police, they repeatedly warned him but he really wanted to stay, he kept on going back to the area while vlogging the locality where he was in,” Galvez said.

The official also noted that, so far, they have detected no proof of life for Eastman.

Last Thursday, Oct. 17, authorities reported that four armed men posing as police officers forcibly took Eastman from his home and shot him in the leg when he tried to resist. He was then taken into a getaway boat, which fled out to sea.

READ: FBI joins search for American abducted in Zamboanga del Norte town

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the search for Eastman.