Police in the Philippines have arrested three suspects in the kidnapping of an American Youtuber, and are looking for three more, authorities said Wednesday.
Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, hasn’t been seen since gunmen disguised as cops burst into his home on Oct. 17 in Subuco, an impoverished coastal town on the island of Mindanao. Armed with M16 rifles, the gunmen shot him in the leg as he tried to fight them off, threw him into a boat and took off. Police found two empty M16 ammunition cases at the site, along with bloodstains.
Eastman had recently married a Muslim woman in the area, according to his posts on social media.
The suspects are part of a criminal group — and not part of the armed Muslim rebel groups that for decades have been snatching tourists for ransom. Authorities suspect Eastman’s abduction could be related to his wife’s former partner, who is now considered a person of interest in the case, Philippine news site the Rappler reported.
The Vermont native had recently returned from travel to attend his wife’s graduation and was posting videos on Facebook detailing his life in Sibuco.
On Wednesday, police said they believed the three suspects still at large were holding Eastman. All six have been charged with criminal complaints of abduction. Police were searching house to house in one area, the Associated Press reported.
“We believe he is alive, so our operations are ongoing,” regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Helen Galvez told AP. “Our search won’t stop until we locate him.”