YouTube Star Etika Found Dead at Age 29

YouTube star Etika was found dead in New York less than a week after he was reported missing, police said Tuesday. He was 29.

Authorities discovered Etika’s body floating in the East River on Monday after responding to a 911 call, a New York police spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News. Etika, whose real name is Desmond Amofah, was reported missing after he was last heard on the phone on June 19. That same day, his belongings, including his wallet and ID, were found on the Manhattan Bridge.

A cause of death was no immediately released.

Etika uploaded a nearly eight-minute long video on YouTube last week before he went missing, speaking about his mental health and apologizing for pushing people away. He also discussed the dangers of social media.

“I really had no intention of killing myself,” Etika, who vlogged about video games to over 130,000 subscribers, said in the now-deleted video that has been reposted by others. “But I’d always push it too far. I guess I am mentally ill.”

In the video, he appeared to be walking on the streets of New York City. He also said, “I hope that my story maybe helps to make YouTube a better place somehow in the future.”

Etika also repeatedly apologized for “betraying” people.

“I’m sorry to those of you who I betrayed,” he said. “I’m sorry for leaving such a stained legacy. 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.”

Etika also said that he was too “deluded” to know that he needed help for his “mental illness,” and warned people about excessive social media use.

“Let my story be one that advises caution on too much of this social media shit, man. It can f— you up. It can give you an image of what you want your life to be and it can get blown completely out of proportion, dog,” he said. “Unfortunately, it consumed me.”

Many of his friends and fellow gamers expressed concerns about his safety on social media after he was reported missing.

Christine Alice, a vlogger who appears to be Etika’s ex-girlfriend, tweeted early on Tuesday, “I refuse to give up hope.” She also shared a video of him playing with her cat, saying it was a month “after we broke up.”

Tuesday afternoon, she tweeted, “Wow… I woke up as soon as the news confirmed it.”

A photographer who took some of Etika’s photos said on Instagram, “Im Trying to be positive. If anyone knows anteing please say something. I miss my boy [Etika].”