Updated at 2:07 p.m.
A Vermont man who authorities said had been shot in the Philippines in October and then abducted by boat has likely died, the Philippines National Police said Thursday, according to the New York Times and other media outlets.
Citing testimony from a suspect in custody, the Times reported that national police believed 26-year-old Elliot Eastman was killed during the abduction, which had set off a massive search for him.
The national police said that four men had been taken into custody since the abduction and four others remain at large, according to the Times.
VTDigger’s attempts to contact the Philippines National Police for comment were not immediately successful.
U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt, said in a statement that he had reached out to Eastman’s family Thursday morning to express his condolences.
“If the reports of Elliot’s death are confirmed, it is a heartbreaking conclusion to this frightening situation,” Welch said in the statement.
“Our (U.S. embassy in Manila) worked in coordination with the FBI’s hostage recovery team, and the Philippine defense forces to locate and bring Elliot home,” the senator added. “Those who are responsible for his kidnapping, and reported death, must be held responsible.”
Authorities in the Philippines have been looking for Eastman since Oct. 17. That’s when police said he was reportedly shot in the leg, abducted and taken onto a boat by his assailants in Sibuco, in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte.
CBS News also reported Thursday morning that a regional police spokesperson, Lt. Col. Ramoncelio Sawan, said that authorities believed that Eastman had died.
“All of the information that we have points to that,” Sawan said, according to the CBS report.
However, according to the report, Sawan said that without the victim’s body, “we’re still leaving a little bit of hope that it may not be the case” and that police would continue their investigation.
Police said at that time of the abduction that a group of men posing as law enforcement officers abducted Eastman from a residence where he had been living. Eastman resisted, police added, and he was shot in the leg and then taken aboard a boat that fled the area.
A Facebook page that appears to belong to Eastman showed photos and videos of his life in the Philippines. He also identified his hometown as Hinesburg in the social media postings.
He appears to have graduated in 2016 from Champlain Valley Union High School, which serves Hinesburg and neighboring towns.
Eastman had been living in the Philippines for several months and had married a woman there last year, Karisha Jala Eastman.
In an online travel advisory for the island of Mindanao, where Sibuco is located and Eastman’s abduction occurred, the State Department said that terrorist and armed groups on the island have “historically engaged in kidnappings for ransom,” along with bombings and other attacks.
The travel advisory added, “These incidents often target foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, as well as civilians, local government entities, and security forces.”
