The FBI have launched an investigation into the abduction of an American YouTuber who was snatched in the the Philippines’ most dangerous area.
Elliot Eastman, 26, was shot in the leg and abducted by gunmen pretending to be police officers who spirited him away on a speedboat on the evening of October 17.
The Vermont native had been sharing his life online after moving to the southern Philippines, where he married to a local a Muslim woman in Sibuco.
Now the FBI have arrived in the South Asian country to investigate the kidnapping having interviewed his wife – Karisha Jala – who lived with in a concrete shack belonging to his father-in-law.
The US Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement: ‘When a U.S. 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.
Elliot Eastman, 26, was shot in the leg and abducted by gunmen pretending to be police officers who spirited him away on a speedboat on the evening of October 17
Now the FBI have arrived in the South Asian country to investigate the kidnapping having interviewed his wife – Karisha Jala (pictured) – who lived with in a run-down concrete shack belonging to his father-in-law
Police in Sibuco town in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte tried to pursue the suspected abductors and their victim, after the reported abduction on Thursday night
‘The Department of State has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad.’
Eastman was at home with his wife when four armed men allegedly burst through the door last Thursday evening.
The attackers falsely claimed they were police before they whisked him away in a speedboat off the coast of Zamboanga del Norte – one of the most dangerous parts of the country.
Local police arrived at around 11pm and took pictures of the suspected crime scene. Blood believed to be from Eastman’s gunshot wound was smeared across the floor and an empty bullet cartridge from an M16 rifle could also be seen alongside everyday items including a hat, handbag and food.
A local law enforcement spokesperson Police Colonel Helen Galvez said: ‘We still have no proof of life and no contact from the abductors. Both here in the Philippines and also in the US, no such communication has been received yet.’
The former Sibuco Mayor Norbideiri Edding said kidnappers may have targeted the American because they thought he was a rich foreigner.
He also claimed Eastman had been facing financial difficulties after allegedly being scammed by his previous girlfriend whom he had planned to marry.
Eastman is seen in one of his YouTube live streams on October 16. The attackers falsely claimed they were police before they whisked 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 abducted, Eastman posted said on a Facebook livestream that he was afraid of living in the area, where he had been for about five months, according to police.
‘As long as I’m here, my life is still at risk, you know,’ Eastman said on September 22.
‘That’s the reality. especially the area that I’m in….It’s not even just the Philippines.
‘This area that I’m in is like the most dangerous are in the country so it’s literally like the red zone.’
Eastman added that ‘of course he was scared’ but not as much as he was at the beginning of his time in the Asian country.
‘There’s nights I’m afraid, there’s times I’m afraid.. but it’s gotten better. In the past, I’ve had a hard time sleeping at night time.’
When asked when he would return to the US by one of the livestream’s viewers, Elliot replied he was not sure.
If confirmed to be a case of kidnapping for ransom, it would be the latest reminder of the long-running security problems that have hounded the southern Philippines, the homeland of a Muslim minority in the largely Roman Catholic nation.
In a bio under his YouTube channel, Eastman wrote: ‘Hello everyone I’m Elliot Eastman, I am 26 years old and I came to the Philippines about a year and 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 of the Philippines that was once only accessible by boat.
‘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!’
Police in Sibuco town in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte tried to pursue the suspected abductors and their victim, after the reported abduction on Thursday night.
‘We confirm that there was a report of the alleged abduction of an American national,’ the regional police said in a statement.
US YouTuber Elliot Eastman (right) is suspected to have been kidnapped from a remote Philippines village on Thursday just months after marrying a local woman (left)
Eastman wrote: ‘ I am 26 years old and I came to the Philippines about a year and half ago where I met the love of my life deep in the mountains of the red zone of the Philippines.
‘We want to assure the public, particularly the community of Sibuco, that we are doing everything in our power to secure the safe recovery of the victim.’
The police asked the public to immediately provide any information that could help an ongoing investigation of the reported abduction.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Helen Galvez told AFP that ‘so far, no one is asking for ransom.’
The Philippines’ southern region has been grappling with constant separatist attacks for decades. A Muslim enclave in the predominantly Catholic country, it is also a notorious hub for violent extremist groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf.
Efforts toward peace have seen progress, with a 2014 peace agreement and the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in 2019. However, sporadic clashes with extremist factions and ongoing poverty continue to challenge long-term stability.
