The Police Regional Office-9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) is all hands on deck in the pursuit of the kidnappers of an American citizen in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte on Thursday, Oct. 17.
EASTMAN
Police or the family of 26-year-old Elliott Onil Eastman have yet to receive any contact or demands from the abductors as posting time.
Police Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey Masauding, PRO-9 chief, said on Sunday, Oct. 20, they are validating leads and keeping a close watch on certain persons of interest believed to be behind the abduction of Eastman.
“We are validating leads to ensure we are tracking the right group to build an airtight case against them,” Masauding said in a statement.
Masauding, who also heads a Critical Incident Management Task Group focusing on the investigation and swift resolution of the case, said the Anti-Kidnapping Group-Mindanao Field Unit is coordinating with the victim’s family and joint intelligence operations with the Armed Forces of the Philippines are underway.
He added that the Sub-Task Group Quick Reaction Team is pursuing the kidnappers and police units in the region are conducting checkpoints.
Masauding said there is no letup in their pursuit of the victim and his kidnappers.
“The safety of the victim remains the top priority and all available resources are being mobilized to resolve the situation swiftly and effectively,” Masauding said.
Eastman, from the state of Vermont in the United States, married a resident and has been residing in Sibuco for five months.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/18/american-kidnapped-in-zamboanga-del-norte
Four gunmen who introduced themselves as policemen seized the victim in his house at 11 p.m. His family was unharmed.
However, the kidnappers shot him after he fought back and was taken to a waiting motorboat which sped off to an unknown direction.
The United States Embassy in Manila is coordinating with authorities in the Zamboanga Peninsula following the incident.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the investigation of the kidnapping.
The PRO-9 said FBI agents visited Eastman’s wife the day after the kidnapping on Friday, Oct.18.
The FBI said that no ransom demand has been received by Eastman’s relatives in the United States so far.