Missing US vlogger: He was repeatedly warned to avoid Zamboanga area

Police say that they repeatedly warned him but he insisted to stay

A man points to a believed to be bloodstain in the sand in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte on October 18, 2024, where abducted American national Elliot Onil Eastman was shot by gunmen. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — Police said on Monday that Zamboanga authorities had repeatedly warned the missing American national to avoid the area.

Elliot Onil had been cautioned due to reports of abductions in the municipality of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte and nearby towns, said Lt. Col. Helen Galvez, Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Police Office spokesperson.

Eastman was reportedly abducted in the same area last Thursday.

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Missing US vlogger insisted to stay

“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 over radio dwPM.

Galvez said Eastman’s vlogging made him vulnerable from abductors.

“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 said.

The official also noted that, so far, they have detected no proof of life for Eastman.

Last Thursday, Oct. 17, authorities reported that four armed men posing as police officers forcibly took Eastman from his home and shot him in the leg when he tried to resist. He was then taken into a getaway boat, which fled out to sea.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the search for Eastman.