Strap in — we’re about to share a deeply tragic and concerning story.
You may have heard the name Elliot Eastman online over the past several months. He’s a 26-year-old Vermont native who moved to the Philippines where he “met the love of [his] life,” according to his channel. He was living in the Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte province, and set out on a mission to show his subscribers the daily life of “the first and only foreigner to have ever lived” in the area “for a long period of time.” But not as long as he maybe would have thought, because he very well may have been murdered last month…
According to the Associated Press, the US citizen was kidnapped on October 17 by four men posing as police officers and drug onto a speedboat, and he hasn’t been seen since. On Thursday, the Police Regional Office-Zamboanga (PRO-9) offered an extremely disheartening update: Elliot is believed to be dead. According to GMA Regional TV, a witness told the law enforcement agency that Elliot was killed the same night he was abducted. Whoa…
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PRO-9 spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ramoncelio Sawan noted investigators were informed by a family member of one of the alleged kidnappers that Elliot was shot in his thigh and abdomen after struggling during his abduction, and later died from his wounds. The family member reported the suspects then dumped the YouTuber’s body in the ocean.
How awful.
Local police have been tirelessly searching for Elliot’s body, but have yet to find it. However, they have closed in on multiple suspects — three of which were killed in a shootout with police last month while others were arrested. According to Sawan, one of those suspects confirmed the report regarding Elliot’s kidnapping and murder. Per the Associated Press, Sawan revealed:
“We are constrained to believe that he has died. All of the information that we have points to that.”
However, since Elliot’s body has still not been recovered, police are “leaving a little bit of hope that it may not be the case.”
That’s so heavy…
Local police have now informed Elliot’s wife — the “love of [his] life” he spoke about on YouTube — of their findings, and reported the news to the US Embassy in Manila. Eerily, Elliot posted a video on YouTube just two months ago titled, Living in the Philippines most dangerous area as an American. You can watch it (below):
We’re sending light to Elliot’s loved ones during this unthinkable time.
[Images via Elliot Eastman/YouTube]
