American YouTuber Feared Dead Following October Abduction in the Philippines

A policeman checks an area where an American identified as Elliot Onil Eastman, from Vermont, was reportedly abducted by gunmen in Sibuco town, Zamboanga del Norte province, southern Philippines, on Oct. 18, 2024. Philippine National Police Regional Office 9 via AP

Kidnapped American YouTuber Elliot Onil Eastman is feared dead, as Philippine authorities investigate reports of a shooting in the country’s south in October.

On Dec. 5, police said the 26-year-old, originally from Vermont, was shot twice with an M16 rifle while attempting to fight off four abductors.

Regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramoncelio Sawan said investigators received new information through a witness and relative of one of the suspects.

Eastman was forcibly taken by four unidentified suspects posing as policemen from his home in the coastal town of Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte on Oct. 17, police said.

According to the initial police investigation, the kidnappers dragged Eastman to a motorboat before speeding off. Their motive remains unclear.

Sawan said the witness had told investigators that Eastman died on the night he was abducted, adding he succumbed to his injuries before the suspects threw his body into the sea.

“We are constrained to believe that he has died. All of the information that we have points to that,” Sawan said.

The information was later corroborated by a key suspect in the kidnapping who was arrested recently, with a sworn statement submitted to government prosecutors.

Authorities launched an extensive search operation for Eastman and his abductors which ultimately led to the arrest of a number of suspects, with three being killed in a gun battle with police in the south last month.

Despite the new information, Sawan said an investigation remains underway, noting without the victim’s body, “we’re still leaving a little bit of hope that it may not be the case.”

The U.S. Embassy in Manila said it is aware of the reports and is coordinating with local authorities.

Eastman was active on YouTube where he documented his day-to-day life along with major milestones on his channel.

“I met the love of my life deep in the mountains of the red zone of the Philippines. Zamboanga del Norte is a recently developed area of the Philippines that was once only accessible by boat,” he wrote.

Eastman was in the nation at the time of his abduction to attend his Filipino wife’s graduation, and initially traveled to the Philippines a year and a half ago where he met his significant other.

“I will be showing you my day to day life as the first and only foreigner to have ever lived here in sibuco for a long period of time. I am from the USA!” he wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.