Photo from Facebook shows American vlogger Eastman Elliot, who was kidnapped in front of his house in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte last October.
Published December 7, 2024
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — American vlogger Elliot Onil Eastman was killed shortly after being kidnapped in Sibuco town, Zamboanga del Norte last October, police confirmed yesterday.
Lt. Col. Ramoncelio Sawan, acting Police Regional Office 9 spokesman, said the PRO 9 Critical Incident Management Task Group (CIMTG) obtained information in the course of its investigation that Eastman died “on the night of his abduction.”
The confirmation came a month and 18 days after the American was kidnapped by four men in front of his residence in Sitio Tungawan, Barangay Poblacion on Oct. 17.
Eastman, 26, was a native of Vermont, USA and settled in Sibuco after marrying a Muslim woman.
According to Sawan, a witness informed the CIMTG about the “untimely death of Eastman on the night of his abduction.”
The witness allegedly disclosed that Eastman was shot twice when he resisted his captors and died on the motorized banca while being transported away from Sibuco.
Upon learning that Eastman died, his captors decided to throw his body overboard,” Sawan said in a statement.
Sawan said despite diligent search operations, the CIMTG failed to find the body of the kidnapped American, thus the delay in the confirmation of Eastman’s fate.
“On the other hand, there is no letup on our efforts to make the perpetrators accountable for their crimes,” Sawan said.
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SOURCE: www.philstar.com
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RELATED: FBI looking into American vlogger Eastman’s abduction in Zamboanga del Norte
GMA NEWS ONLINE | Published October 20, 2024
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now looking into the abduction of American vlogger Elliot Eastman, who was reported to have been taken by four men who introduced themselves as law enforcers in Zamboanga Del Norte.
According to the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO-9), FBI agents made a visit to Eastman’s wife on Friday, October 18, 2024, as reported on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.
The FBI was also reported to have told the Philippine National Police that Eastman’s relatives in the US have not received any ransom demand so far.
For its part, the United States Embassy said it continues to work with local authorities in the search for Eastman, as it said it is monitoring the situation. It did not provide further details citing privacy and other considerations.
“When a US citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we make every effort to keep lines of communication open with families,” it said in a statement.
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad,” it added.
The PRO-9 earlier reported that four men abducted Eastman from his in-laws’ house in the municipality of Sibuco around 11 p.m. on October 17. He was said to have resisted, but was shot in the leg and brought to a boat which headed for the high seas.
Eastman in his previous vlogs talked about “not being liked” in their area, saying that “they want bad things to happen” to him, and that people have been informing his family of threats to kidnap him.
The American national, married to a Filipino woman, is said to have been in the Philippines for five months.
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SOURCE: www.gmanetwork.com
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