Update in hunt for American YouTuber who was kidnapped in the Philippines’ most dangerous area
The FBI has launched an investigation into the kidnapping of an American YouTuber who was arrested in the most dangerous area of the Philippines.
Elliot Eastman, 26, was shot in the leg and kidnapped by armed men who posed as police officers and chased him away on a speedboat on the evening of October 17.
The Vermont native had shared his life online after moving to the southern Philippines, where he married a local Muslim woman in Sibuco.
Now the FBI has arrived in the South Asian country to investigate the kidnapping, after interviewing his wife Karisha Jala, who lived with his father-in-law in a concrete hut.
The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement: “When a U.S. citizen goes missing, we work closely with local authorities in their search efforts and do everything we can to keep lines of communication open with families.
Elliot Eastman, 26, was shot in the leg and kidnapped by armed men who posed as police officers and chased him away on a speedboat on the evening of October 17.
Now the FBI has arrived in the South Asian country to investigate the kidnapping after interviewing his wife – Karisha Jala (pictured) – who lived with his father-in-law in a dilapidated concrete hut.
Police in the town of Sibuco in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte attempted to pursue the suspected kidnappers and their victim, following the reported kidnapping on Thursday evening
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the well-being and safety of American citizens abroad.”
Eastman was home with his wife when four armed men burst through the door last Thursday evening.
The attackers falsely claimed that they were previously police took him away in a speedboat off the coast of Zamboanga del Norte – one of the most dangerous parts of the country.
Local police arrived around 11 p.m. and took photographs of the suspected crime scene. Blood believed to be from Eastman’s gunshot wound was smeared on the floor, and an empty bullet cartridge from an M16 rifle was also seen next to everyday items including a hat, purse and food.
A local police spokesperson, Colonel Helen Galvez, said: “We still have no evidence of life and no contact with the kidnappers. No such message has been received yet here in the Philippines or in the US.”
Former Sibuco mayor Norbideiri Edding said kidnappers may have targeted the American because they believed he was a wealthy foreigner.
He also claimed that Eastman had fallen on hard times financially after allegedly being scammed by his previous girlfriend whom he planned to marry.
Eastman will be featured in one of his YouTube livestreams on October 16. The attackers falsely claimed to be police before taking him away in a speedboat off the coast of Zamboanga del Norte – one of the most dangerous parts of the country.
Just weeks before he was kidnapped, Eastman posted on a Facebook livestream that he was afraid of living in the area, where police say he had been for five months.
“As long as I’m here, my life is still in danger, you know,” Eastman said on September 22.
‘That’s the reality. especially the area I’m in. It’s not even just the Philippines.
“This area I’m in looks like the most dangerous area in the country, so it literally looks like the red zone.”
Eastman added that “of course he was scared,” but not as much as at the beginning of his stay in the Asian country.
“There are nights when I’m scared, there are times when I’m scared…but it’s gotten better. In the past I had difficulty sleeping at night.’
When one of the viewers of the livestream asked him when he would return to the US, Elliot said he wasn’t sure.
If it is confirmed to be a kidnapping for ransom, it would be the latest reminder of the long-running security problems plaguing the southern Philippines, home to a Muslim minority in the largely Roman Catholic country.
In a biography under his YouTube channel, Eastman wrote: ‘Hello everyone, I’m Elliot Eastman, I’m 26 years old and I came to the Philippines about a year and a half ago where 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 in the Philippines that was once only accessible by boat.
‘I will show you my daily life as the first and only foreigner who ever lived here in Sibuco for a long time. I’m from the US!’
Police in the city of Sibuco in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte attempted to pursue the suspected kidnappers and their victim after the reported kidnapping on Thursday evening.
“We confirm that there has been a report of the alleged kidnapping of a US citizen,” regional police said in a statement.
American YouTuber Elliot Eastman (right) is suspected of being kidnapped from a remote Philippine village on Thursday, just months after he married a local woman (left)
Eastman wrote: “I am 26 years old and came to the Philippines about a year and a half ago, where I met the love of my life deep in the mountains of the Philippines’ red zone.
“We would like to assure the public, and especially the community of Sibuco, that we are doing everything in our power to ensure the safe recovery of the victim.”
Police asked the public to immediately provide any information that could assist an ongoing investigation into the reported kidnapping.
Police spokeswoman Lt. Col. Helen Galvez told AFP that “so far no one is asking for ransom.”
The southern region of the Philippines has faced continuous separatist attacks for decades. It is a Muslim enclave in the predominantly Catholic country, but also a notorious hub for violent extremist groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Islamic State-affiliated Abu Sayyaf.
Peace efforts have made progress, with a 2014 peace deal and the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in 2019. However, sporadic clashes with extremist factions and persistent poverty continue to threaten long-term stability.