New York City police have confirmed the death of popular YouTuber and streamer Desmond Amofah, known online as Etika, six days after he was reported missing. He was 29.
BBC reports the Brooklyn native’s body was found in the East River last night, following serious concern for his wellbeing from fans of his YouTube channel and his Twitch account.
We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased. https://t.co/sedwZZxglw
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 25, 2019
Last week, Amofah uploaded an eight-minute long YouTube video in which he walked the streets of New York City and discussed his mental health and suicidal ideation. The video, entitled I’m sorry, has since been deleted from his channel.
Amofah had been active on YouTube since 2012 and his content, which often focused on Nintendo-related news, garnered a large following.
Despite amassing over 800,000 combined followers over YouTube and Twitch, Amofah reportedly sabotaged his YouTube channel in October, sparking audience fears for his mental health.
In April, Amofah live-streamed a standoff with armed police, which was reportedly sparked by an apparent suicide threat on his Twitter account. A NYPD representative told Kotaku the streamer was admitted to hospital after that incident.
Another altercation in May led to a return to hospital.
Fans have offered their condolences to Amofah’s family and friends, and have expressed their appreciation for his work in the comment sections of his videos.
The official Twitter account for YouTube’s creator community also expressed the company’s sadness at the news.
We mourn the loss of Etika, a beloved member of our gaming creator community. All of us at YouTube are sending condolences to his loved ones and fans.
— YouTube Creators (@YouTubeCreators) June 25, 2019
If you or someone you know is dealing with a mental illness, call BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636. If you are in distress, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
