Zamboanga cops confirm death of kidnapped American

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.

He added that a suspect was arrested on Nov. 18 while another voluntarily surrendered days later and helped authorities in tracing the remaining two kidnappers.