American YouTuber Elliot Eastman was reportedly kidnapped in the Philippines by a group of men posing as police officers.
The group who took the 26-year-old YouTuber reportedly approached him with machine guns on Thursday, October 17, in the coastal town of Sibuco.
Witnesses claim Eastman was shot in the leg before he was allegedly dragged to a white speedboat near the small village where he was last seen.
Local resident Abdulmali Hamsiran Jala told police officers that Eastman tried to escape the attack, but was unable due to his gunshot wound and being outnumbered.
Authorities reportedly chased the suspects and the YouTuber, but were unable to find them. Marine units and additional police were then deployed to locate Eastman.
“We confirm that there was a report of the alleged abduction of an American national,” local authorities stated.
“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.”
On October 18, more search efforts were implemented, as the FBI was confirmed to be working on finding Eastman. According to the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO-9), FBI agents also visited the YouTuber’s wife at their home in the Philippines.
“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,” the United States Embassy said in a statement.
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Adding, “The Department of State has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad.”
Eastman, originally from Vermont, moved to the Philippines about a year and a half ago. His YouTube bio details his journey: “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,” he said.
“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.”
In a Facebook livestream on September 22, just weeks before his alleged abduction, Eastman voiced his concerns about his life being at risk in Sibuco.
“As long as I’m here, my life is still at risk, you know,” he said. “That’s the reality. Especially the area that I’m in… it’s not even just the Philippines.”
He added, “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.”
At the time of writing, Lieutenant-Colonel Helen Galvez said, “So far, no one is asking for ransom.”