The New York Police Department have confirmed that a body pulled from the East River is that of missing YouTuber, Desmond Amofah, better known by his social media handle, Etika, Insider reported.
The 29-year-old had been missing since last Wednesday after posting a concerning video to his channel, expressing suicidal thoughts.
Etika, 29, was a popular YouTuber best known for his reaction videos.
He joined the the social media platform in 2012 and amassed over 130,000 followers.
Although his high-energy content might paint the picture of a happy, worry-free young man, Etika has threatened to harm himself before.
In April, he sent out a tweet to his over 360,000 Twitter followers, threatening to kill himself.
Just two weeks later , on April 29, police responded to an anonymous 911 call about an emotionally disturbed person at Etika’s downtown Brooklyn residence. He was then taken to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital for evaluation.
In response to Etika’s suicidal tweet, his fans and friends flocked to the comments to express their concern.
“Desmond, life isn’t a game,” one user wrote. “If you need help mentally you should seriously allow yourself to accept some treatment now before it’s too late.”
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Others speculated that Etika had been hacked, refusing to believe this type of content could come from the YouTube personality.
On June 19, Etika posted a YouTube video at midnight, showing him walking the streets of New York.
The since-deleted video, which was tilted, “I’m sorry”, saw the YouTuber apologize for pushing people away and confirming that he suffered from mental illness.
“I’m sorry y’all,” he said. “You know, I wasn’t suicidal before, I really wasn’t. But one thing I didn’t realize is the walls are closing around me too fast.”
He added, “I guess I am mentally ill.”
In the video, he apologized to anyone who he felt he had “betrayed” at some point in his life
“I’m sorry for leaving such a stained legacy,” he said. “I hope that my story maybe helps to make YouTube be a better place somehow in the future, to where people know boundaries and limits and how far things should go.”
Below is a clip of the video which was re-uploaded by another YouTube user.
He also offerd a warning to viewers about the dangers of social media and cautioned them from using it too much.
“It can give you an image of what you want your life to be and get blown completely out of proportion,” he said. “It consumed me.”
He apologized for “[pushing] so many people away” and added, “Now, I’ve got nobody.”
New York police began searching for him after just over a day after the 8-minute video was uploaded.
They issued a tweet on June 20 asking for any information regarding the missing YouTuber.
On Sunday, a backpack believing to have belonged to Etika was discovered on the Manhattan Bridge, igniting suicide speculations. The bag contained his wallet, phone, and Nintendo Switch.
On Monday, a 911 caller reported seeing the body of a man floating in East River.
The body was recovered that same day near the South Street Seaport in Manhattan. The man was unresponsive and EMS pronounced him deceased.
On Tuesday, NYPD released a Tweet confirming that the body that was found was in fact that of Desmond Amofah.
In response to the news, there has been an outpouring of condolences from his mourning friends and fans.
“Rest in peace my man,” fellow YouTuber Tsuko G. replied to the tweet. “You were a very nice and lively person. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.”
The official YouTube Creators account tweeted out condolences to Etika’s “loved ones and fans”.
In a follow-up comment, the account also offered anyone else who might be struggling with mental illness the number for the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as a website people outside of the US can use to find support.
Since news of his death broke, some of Etika’s fans have asked YouTube to reinstate his final video.
Although it was taken down for going against the site’s content policies, members of the creator’s community suggest the video go back up along with numbers for suicide helplines. As of right now, however, the video remains deleted from the site.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1−800−273−TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
h/t: Insider
