Penculikan Pria AS Di Filipina, Polisi Usut Kabar Korban Tewas Ditembak 2 Kali Menggunakan M16

Illustration of the kidnapping case (Unsplash-Jose P. Ortiz)

JAKARTA - A citizen of the United States (US) who was the victim of kidnapping in the Philippines is thought to have been shot dead twice for fighting his kidnappers.

Citing AFP, Thursday, December 5, this allegation has made the Philippine Police intensively search for the location of the victim named Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, from US Vermont.

At least three kidnapping suspects have been killed in a shootout with police in the southern region of the Philippines last month.

Police said Eastman was allegedly shot dead twice with an M16 rifle while trying to fight four of his kidnappers who disguised themselves as police officers in Sibuco City, Zamboanga del Norte Province, on October 17, 2024.

Eastman was kidnapped somewhere by being dragged into a motorboat which then disappeared.

The Philippine police said Eastman's alleged death was based on information from a relative of one of the suspects.

The source said the victim suffered gunshot wounds to his thighs and stomach when he was taken away by his kidnappers. The victim's body was dumped into the sea by the kidnappers after it was discovered that he was no longer alive.

Information about Eastman's death was later strengthened by the main suspect in the recent kidnapping. The suspect's statement has been submitted to the public prosecutor.