A YouTube star who went missing last week has been found dead in the East River yesterday. Police confirmed that the body of Desmond Amofah, also known as Etika, was pulled from the East River on Monday. He was 29.
Amofah, who reviewed video games on YouTube under the name Etika and had more than 130,000 followers, went missing around 8 p.m. last Wednesday according to police. He disappeared after posting a now-deleted video in which he repeatedly apologized, talked about mental health, and said he was suicidal.
Via the Post:
“I’m sorry for leaving such a stained legacy,” Amofah said in the 8-minute-long video, which was reposted to the internet after it was deleted. “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.”
“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,” he added. “I guess I am mentally ill.”
In the troubling video, Amofah seems to suggest that he’s tired with keeping up appearances online.
“Let my story be one that advises caution on too much of the social media s-t, man,” he said. “It will f-k you up and give you an image of what you want your life to be and it can get blown completely out of proportion, dog. Unfortunately, it consumed me.”
A fellow gamer and friend of Amofah posted a worried message on Instagram on Sunday:
While searching for him last week, police discovered several of Amofah’s belongings, including his New York State driver’s license, his wallet, his cell phone, a black and red Nintendo Switch and a laptop bag belonging to him, on the Manhattan Bridge.
His body was found yesterday around 6:20 p.m. near the South Street Seaport. A cause of death was not immediately released.
Rest well Etika. This is such a heartbreaking thing to see. People don’t understand how important mental health is, especially when you reach that level of popularity. It’s insanely hard to feel treated like a human being at that level, and I wish he had got the help he needed.
— FOX | SonicFox (@SonicFox5000) June 25, 2019
Amofah had previously tweeted suicidal statements to his followers, including on April 16th when he wrote in a now-deleted tweet, "Savonarola! I’m going to kill myself! You lot certainly have already. Shame on you all, silly humans."
Please dont man. If this Is really you, trust me people love u and you're an asset to this world
— Ice_Poseidon (@REALIcePoseidon) April 16, 2019
BuzzFeed adds: "On April 29, the NYPD also responded to a 911 call for an emotionally disturbed person at Amofah's Brooklyn house while he was live on Instagram. In the livestream, Amofah refused to open his door to police officers who told him people were concerned about his safety." Amofah was eventually restrained and taken to the NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital for evaluation.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.