📷Elliot Eastman | Facebook
Authorities in Zamboanga had issued multiple warnings to the missing American vlogger Elliot Onil Eastman to steer away from Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, and nearby towns, police reports showed on Monday, October 21.
In a radio interview with dwPM, Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Police Office spokesperson Lt. Col. Helen Galvez said the American vlogger had been warned not to visit the areas due to incidents of abductions.
Galvez that Eastman was kidnapped in the same vicinity last Thursday, October 24, since his vlogging made him vulnerable from abductors.
Authorities stated that four armed men impersonating police officers forcibly abducted Eastman from his residence and shot him in the leg when he attempted to resist. He was subsequently taken onto a getaway boat, which then escaped into the sea.
“Perhaps, first of all, what we observed is his vulnerability. Because despite warnings from our local police that he should not stay in the area, he still insisted on staying. That area is very near the sea,” Galvez said.
According to our local police, they repeatedly warned him but he really wanted to stay, he kept on going back to the area while vlogging the locality where he was in,” Galvez added.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently investigating the abduction of American vlogger Elliot Eastman, who was reportedly taken by four men posing as law enforcement officers in Zamboanga del Norte.
According to the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO-9), FBI agents visited Eastman’s wife on Friday, October 18, 2024.
The FBI also informed the PNP that Eastman’s relatives in the US have not received any ransom demands to date.
Meanwhile, the United States Embassy stated that it is actively collaborating with local authorities in the search for Eastman, while monitoring the situation. They did not disclose additional details due to 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. (TCSP)
