A man from the United States has reportedly been k!dnapped from a remote village in the Philippines, just months after moving there and marrying a local woman. Elliot Onil Eastman, a 26-year-old YouTuber, was allegedly abdvcted at gunpoint from the coastal town of Sibuco on Thursday, October 17.
Reports indicate that four men, posing as police officers, arrived at Eastman’s home on Mindanao Island. Armed with M16 rifles and dressed in black, they fired at Eastman and his wife when he resisted, realizing they weren’t actual police, according to local officials.
Police records state that Eastman was sh*t in the leg before being taken by the kidnappers on a speedboat. Authorities attempted to pursue the boat but were unsuccessful. They have since alerted other agencies and Philippine marine units in the area, local media reported.
Regional police confirmed the abduction and assured the public, particularly the Sibuco community, that efforts are underway to secure Eastman’s safe return.
Though Philippine authorities have not disclosed much about Eastman’s background, his YouTube channel, ElliotBeastman, offers some details. His bio reads: “Hello everyone, I’m Elliot Eastman, 26 years old. I moved to the Philippines about a year and a half ago, where I met the love of my life in the mountains of the red zone in Zamboanga del Norte. This area, once only accessible by boat, is now newly developed. I’ll be sharing my daily life as the first foreigner to live here long-term. I am from the USA.”
If confirmed as a kidnapping for ransom, this case would add to ongoing security concerns in the southern Philippines, a region known for long-standing issues involving a Muslim minority in a predominantly Catholic nation.
The US embassy in Manila has not yet commented on the alleged abduction.