The popular YouTuber Etika was found dead less than a week after he went missing, authorities said Tuesday.
Desmond Amofah, 29, a well-known online gaming personality, disappeared last Wednesday after he posted an eight-minute video in which he expressed suicidal thoughts.
Police said that Amofah's body was recovered from the East River on Monday night off Pier 16 in Lower Manhattan and that some of his belongings were retrieved near the Manhattan Bridge.
“We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased,” the NYPD tweeted. No further details surrounding the cause of his death has been released.
Amofah was best known for playing and reviewing Nintendo Games on YouTube as well as other online platforms and had amassed thousands of followers since debuting in 2012.
He frequently spoke about his struggles with mental health, and his behavior had become more erratic in recent months.
In October 2018, Amofah's YouTube channel was deactivated after he uploaded pornography. The incident appeared to cause him to post a suicidal note on Redditt, which he later apologized for and recanted as him being "overdramatic" after several followers expressed concern.
In April, he began live-streaming a standoff with New York police, who had entered his apartment to check on him after he began posting cryptic tweets about harming himself, including a photo of himself holding a gun, according to Kotaku. “He was threatening suicide inside the apartment," police said. He was hospitalized shortly after.
In his final video, which was uploaded one day before he went missing, the gamer apologized to his followers and admitted that he suffered from mental illness. The video entitled "I'm Sorry" shows Amofah walking the streets of New York while talking about suicide. The video was removed two days later for violating YouTube's terms and conditions but has been reposted by other YouTube users.
Several members of the online gaming community have already expressed their condolences.
"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," tweeted the official YouTube Creators account.
"He was a great Entertainer. One of the best streamers in the game. He lost a channel of over 800k subs and made a new one and was right back pulling thousands of viewers. Wherever he’s laid to rest I’ll be there," tweeted popular YouTuber Daniel “Keemstar” Keem, adding that Amofah's final video should be put back on YouTube.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit www.speakingofsuicide.com/resources.