The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday announced that three suspects in the kidnapping of American vlogger Elliot Eastman in Zamboanga del Norte are now in police custody.
“Yesterday, a case was filed against six identified suspects. Inquest proceedings were held. Three of the suspects are now in custody… The case filed is for kidnapping and serious illegal detention,” PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said in a press briefing.
However, police authorities could not offer any insights as to the possible location of the abductee, or his current state of health.
Witnesses said Eastman was shot in the leg by one of his kidnappers when he tried to resist being snatched from his in-laws’ house in the coastal town of Sibuco last October 17.
The 26-year-old YouTube content creator was then carried to a waiting motorboat by the four gunmen who participated in the abduction, and they hurriedly made headway to an unknown location.
“The victim had a gunshot wound and the boat [used to abduct him] was not meant for long distances. This suggests that he wasn’t taken far. It is not yet clear whether he [Eastman] is still alive or not,” Fajardo told Manila Standard in Filipino.
“It appears initially in our investigation, at least in the investigation of the task group, that the motive here is really kidnapping [for ransom],” Fajardo noted.
She said investigators are disconcerted as to why the kidnappers never demanded any ransom money.
“But until now we have not received any information about the demand for ransom. Sadly, we still don’t have any proof of life,” she added.
The police spokesperson also disclosed that one of the three kidnapping suspects surrendered while the remaining two were arrested by lawmen.
All three suspects have direct participation in the abduction, she added.
Fajardo further revealed that the suspects had been linked to previous murder cases, and at least two of them were known to be members of a criminal gang.
She disclosed that during interrogation, the suspects identified three more individuals involved in the crime.
Meanwhile, the reward offered to anyone who can provide information leading to the resolution of Eastman’s abduction has been raised to PHP500,000.
Zamboanga del Norte 3rd District Rep. Adrian Amatong added P350,000 to the initial P150,000 bounty offered by Sibuco Mayor Joel Ventura.
