YouTuber Desmond 'Etika' Amofah's body found in East River days after he posted video discussing suicidal thoughts
The body of popular YouTuber Desmond Amofah, famously known as Etika, was found in East River, the New York Police Department said on Tuesday.
Amofah, who was known for creating Nintendo-centric videos, had been missing for days after he posted a video discussing suicidal thoughts last week.
Authorities had launched a search for the YouTube star and discovered his belongings along the side of the Manhattan Bridge on Saturday night.
His body was found floating in New York’s East River on Tuesday half a mile from the place where his belongings were discovered near Manhattan Bridge.
The NYPD had first confirmed his disappearance as a missing person's case on June 20.
Nearly 36 hours later, Amofah uploaded an eight-minute video to his secondary YouTube channel, stating suicidal thoughts and mental health issues.
The clip was reportedly removed later as it violated the company's community guidelines. However, it was later uploaded again by other people.
In the video, Amofah had said: "I’m sorry for leaving such a stained legacy."
"I hope that my story maybe helps to make YouTube a better place in the future where people know boundaries and limits and how far things should go," the YouTuber said in his video.
"You know I wasn't suicidal before — I really wasn't. But one thing I didn't realize was that the walls were closing around me so fast. I really had no intention of killing myself but I'd always push it too far. I guess I am mentally ill."
The 29-year-old, who had amassed 131,000 followers on YouTube with his video game reviews, had publicly struggled with mental health issues for a while.
However, his behavior over the last 10 months concerned his fans.
Reports state that Amofah had uploaded pornography to his YouTube channel in October 2018, in a clear violation to the firm's guidelines, and had commented that it was "time to die" as his channel got deactivated after the incident, the Verge reported.
Amofah, in April, had also live-streamed a standoff with New York police, apparently prompted by multiple erratic tweets, including one that included a picture of himself posing with a gun.
New York police, at the time, had said that Amofah was "threatening suicide in the apartment" and had a history of mental health issues.
He was subsequently taken to a hospital in Brooklyn after the incident.
Amofah, in May, also assaulted a police officer and was admitted to a local hospital, according to fellow streamer and ex-girlfriend Alice Pika.
Many of Amofah's followers took to Twitter in the last few days as they wrote testimonials on how his channel helped them throughout the years and how important he was to their community.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the U.S. Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, a free and 24/7 service that can provide suicidal persons or those around them with support, information and local resources. If you’re in the United Kingdom, call the Samaritans at 116123.