Desmond Amofah, the popular video game YouTuber known as Etika, died by suicide, New York City’s chief medical examiner said.
His body was pulled from the East River on June 24, police said.
We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased. https://t.co/sedwZZxglw
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 25, 2019
Two days later, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of Amofah’s death was drowning, and the manner was suicide.
Amofah, 29, was last heard from June 19, according to the New York Police Department.
A backpack and phone believed to belong to him were found on the Manhattan Bridge June 23, according to police sources.
He vanished after posting a video to his channel in which he appeared to express suicidal thoughts, prompting concern among his fans. The video has since been removed from his channel.
Amofah had more than 130,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he vlogged about video games.
Youtube Stars Speak Out
Lux @Callux, a Youtube video producer posted on his Twitter: “RIP Etika. We didn’t know each other but I just wanted to say rest in peace. It gets said a lot on social media but I’m gonna say it again. Reach out to someone, anyone, to talk through things. There are always people that care about you.”
RIP Etika. We didn’t know each other but I just wanted to say rest in peace. It gets said a lot on social media but I’m gonna say it again. Reach out to someone, anyone, to talk through things. There are always people that care about you ❤️
— Lux (@Callux) June 25, 2019
Youtuber, Twitch streamer, @Boogie2988, speaks out about Etika’s passing in a video.
About #etika pic.twitter.com/zwzGxozGIY
— Boogie2988 ???? vidcon! (@Boogie2988) June 25, 2019
Suicide A Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
Did you know that in 2017, there were 47,173 deaths by suicide in the United States?
Suicide is the 10th highest cause of death in America and we fight everyday not just for ourselves, but for every person around us that might need it as well. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/2onwbav8W4
— Peaceful Mind (@Peaceful_MindNW) 23 April 2019
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report Vital Signs: Trends in State Suicide Rates on June 8, 2018, revealing that suicide rates have increased by 30 percent since 1999. However, the report points out that there were a variety of factors other than mental health conditions that lead to suicide.
“Suicide rates increased significantly across most states during 1999–2016. Various circumstances contributed to suicides among persons with and without known mental health conditions,” the report stated.
The CNN Wire, Epoch Times reporter Isabel Van Brugen and NTD News staff contributed to this article.
