Missing American Elliot Onil Eastman —Elliot Eastman Facebook photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday announced the arrest of three suspects in the abduction of American vlogger Elliot Onil Eastman in Zamboanga del Norte two weeks ago.
Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, the PNP spokesperson, said the three suspects, who had undergone inquest proceedings and were now in the custody of the PNP command in charge of the Zamboanga Peninsula, implicated three more persons in Eastman’s abduction.
The PNP had filed complaints of kidnapping and serious illegal detention against the six suspects, she said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.
No word on location
Fajardo withheld the names of the suspects, citing the ongoing manhunt for the three who remained at large.
“We are still looking for John Does, who can be a possible accessory to the crime,” she added.
The suspects in police custody did not provide any information on Eastman’s location or whether he was still alive.
“But until now we have not received any information about the demand for ransom. Sadly, we still don’t have any proof of life,” she said.
Direct participants
In a separate statement on Wednesday, the PNP Zamboanga command (Regional Office 9) added that the arrested suspects had “direct participation in the kidnapping.”
“The meticulous intelligence, investigation, and tactical operations also led to the identification of three other suspects with direct participation in the crime,” it said.
The criminal complaints were filed before the Provincial Prosecutors Office in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, for violation of Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code “Kidnapping and Serious Illegal Detention.
On Oct. 7, Eastman, a Vermont native married to a resident of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, was abducted at gunpoint from their coastal home in Sitio Tungawan, Barangay Poblacion.
One of the abductors reportedly shot him in the leg when he resisted. The American was forcibly taken aboard a motorboat and then headed toward open waters.