An American missionary killed by an uncontactable tribe as soon as he landed on a remote island wrote a chilling letter asking his parents not to be 'mad at them or at God' if he died.
John Allen Chau was shot dead with arrows after travelling to North Sentinel Island, home to the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world and out of bounds to visitors, on November 16.
The 27-year-old bribed fishermen to ferry him there but as soon as he reached the beach, the hostile tribe shot at him with bows and arrows before dragging him onto the sand.
North Sentinel Island is one of the islands in India's remote Andaman and Nicobar chain.
His Instagram and Facebook profiles show pictures of him travelling to far-flung places across the globe.
In his last post on November 2, he shared pictures of the jungle and one of a leech between his toes and wrote: "Adventure awaits. So do leeches."
It emerged yesterday that Chau had written notes describing how members of the tribe were good to him while others were very aggressive.
"I have been so nice to them. Why are they so angry and so aggressive?" a source quoted Chau as saying.
Chau wrote that he was "doing this to establish the kingdom of Jesus on the island... Do not blame the natives if I am killed."
In a statement on Instagram, Chau's family said: "We recently learned from an unconfirmed report that John Allen Chau was reported killed in India while reaching out to members of the Sentinelese Tribe in the Andaman Islands.
The family described him as a "beloved son, brother and uncle" as well as a Christian missionary, wilderness emergency medical technician, soccer coach and mountaineer.
"He loved God, life, helping those in need and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people," the family said.
"We forgive those reportedly responsible for his death. We also ask for the release of those friends he had in the Andaman Islands."
The family asked that local contacts not be prosecuted in the case.
The Sentinelese tribe are hunter-gatherers who are completely isolated from the outside world.
The International Christian Concern said Chau was a Christian missionary who wanted to make contact with the tribe.
William Stark, ICC's regional manager, paid tribute to Chau and condemned his killing.
He said: "We here at International Christian Concern are extremely concerned by the reports of an American missionary being murdered in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to both John's family and friends.
"A full investigation must be launched in this this murder and those responsible must be brought to justice.
"India must take steps to counter the growing wave of intolerance and violence."
Jatin Narwal, Superintendent of Police at Port Blair, told TNM that John was last seen alive on November 16.
He added: "He lived in Alabama, US. He is some kind of paramedic. He was on a misplaced adventure in prohibited area to meet uncontacted persons.
"People thought he is a missionary because he had mentioned his position on god and that he was a believer on social media or somewhere online.
"But in a strict sense, he was not a missionary. He was an adventurer. His intention was to meet the aborigines."
A source told AFP: "He tried to reach the Sentinel island on November 14 but could not make it. Two days later he went well prepared. He left the dinghy midway and took a canoe all by himself to the island.
"He was attacked by arrows but he continued walking. The fishermen saw the tribals tying a rope around his neck and dragging his body.
“They were scared and fled but returned next morning to find his body on the sea shore.”
When they got back to Port Blair, they told a local preacher, who was a friend of Chau's, what had happened.
"A murder case has been registered," one of the officials told Reuters.
Deepak Yadav, a police official in the island chain in the Bay of Bengal, said police have launched an investigation.
"We are aware of reports concerning a U.S. citizen in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands," a spokeswoman for the United States consulate in India's southern city of Chennai said in an email.
"When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts," she added, but declined to provide further details over privacy concerns.
One of the police sources said Chau, who had made previous visits to the islands, had a strong desire to meet the Sentinelese.
He reportedly made a failed attempt to get to the island on November 14.
Chau hired a fishing dinghy and, aided by the fishermen, reached the vicinity of the island on November 16, before transferring to a canoe, the official said.
His body, spotted the following day by the fishermen on their return, has not yet been retrieved, the official added.
The fishermen who took him to the island have been arrested.