Abducted US vlogger believed dead, body still missing – police

Elliot Onil Eastman —ELLIOT EASTMAN FACEBOOK PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Police now believe that American vlogger Elliot Eastman likely died following his abduction in Zamboanga del Norte, though his body remains missing.

Eastman was kidnapped from Sibuco town on October 17 by four armed men posing as officers. He was shot in the leg while resisting, according to police.

“We want to believe that Elliot Eastman died because of the testimonies we got from a witness and one of the suspects,” Police Regional Office (PRO) 9 Acting Spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramoncelio Sawan told reporters in a phone interview on Thursday.

READ: Still no proof of life on abducted American

Sawan said that one of the suspects, in an extrajudicial confession made last November, admitted that Eastman died and that his body was left in the waters near Zamboanga City. This statement is corroborated by a witness account provided in October.

Despite these testimonies, Sawan said that Eastman’s body has not yet been found.

“Although we’ve had one witness and another witness corroborating what was said about Elliot Eastman’s death, we still aren’t able to find his body,” Sawan explained.

“Although we tried to search for any signs along coasts, on nearby islands, but we still haven’t found anything,” he added.

Eastman’s family has been informed through the police’s coordination with the United States Embassy, according to Sawan.

He added that police are keeping their lines open for any information about Eastman and are coordinating with authorities, particularly agencies with sea assets in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

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

PRO9 maintained that it has yet to determine the motive behind Eastman’s abduction.

Eastman, a YouTube content creator from Vermont, USA, had been living in the Philippines for five months after marrying a Filipina from Sibuco.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the investigation in October.

On October 29, police filed complaints against six suspects for kidnapping and serious illegal detention before the Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

READ: ‘Persons of interest’ in Eastman abduction killed in clash

Three suspects in the case were arrested, while three others remained at large, the Philippine National Police announced on October 31.

Meanwhile, three other individuals linked to a kidnap-for-ransom group were implicated in the Eastman case after being killed in a clash in Zamboanga Sibugay on November 12.