Elliot Eastman, an American YouTuber documenting his life within the Philippines, could have been fatally struck when he was shot throughout a kidnapping greater than six weeks in the past.
Eastman, initially from Vermont, was taken on Oct. 17 from his dwelling within the coastal city of Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte province, in response to authorities.
The group of suspects, armed with M16 rifles on the time, had been posing as legislation enforcement after which shot 26-year-old Eastman when he resisted and tried to flee. He sustained two wounds, one within the leg when he was first shot, and one other in his abdomen, police stated.
From there, they dragged Eastman right into a motorboat and sped off towards the provinces of Basilan or Sulu, per earlier police reviews.
Since then, 4 males have been taken into custody, Jean Fajardo, a spokeswoman for the police, advised the New York Instances. In subsequent interviews with legislation enforcement, one of many suspects supplied info that has led police to imagine Eastman died the day he was kidnapped, Fajardo added.
Eastman’s physique had not but been discovered, police stated, however they imagine his abductors threw it overboard after he died on their boat.
One other three suspects concerned had been killed in a gun battle with police within the south final month, and Fajardo stated one other 4 stay at giant.
Eastman moved to the Philippines again in Could, after he assembly and marrying a girl from the the distant village of Sibuco.
“I met the love of my life deep in the mountains of the red zone of the Philippines,” a bio on Eastman’s YouTube web page reads.
“Zamboanga del Norte is a recently developed area of the Philippines that was once only accessible by boat,” it continued. “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.”
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
