By Teofilo Garcia, Jr. | Philippine News Agency
Authorities confirmed Thursday that Elliot Eastman, an American abducted in Zamboanga del Norte, died on the night he was taken.
PLTCOL. Ramoncelio Sawan, acting information officer of the Police Regional Office 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), said Eastman, 50, was fatally shot by his abductors when he resisted and died while being transported by motorboat away from his home in Barangay Poblacion, Sibuco on Oct. 17.
“In the course of the investigation, the Critical Incident Management Task Group (CIMTG) ‘Eastman’ obtained information from a witness about the untimely death of Eastman on the night of his abduction,” Sawan said.
The witness reported that Eastman sustained two gunshot wounds during the struggle and that his body was thrown overboard after his death. Despite extensive search operations, his body has not been recovered.
The task group filed complaints for kidnapping and serious illegal detention against four identified suspects on Oct. 29.
Sawan said operatives arrested one of the suspects on Nov. 18, while two others remain at large. Efforts to apprehend all perpetrators were ongoing.
Eastman, a Vermont native who had been living in Sibuco for five months with his wife, a local resident, was taken at gunpoint from his home on the night of Oct. 17.
“The CIMTG assures that it is exhausting all resources to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Sawan said.
Eastman’s abduction and death have raised concerns over the safety of foreigners living in the area, and authorities reiterated their commitment to ensuring justice for the victim.
