Casefile True Crime - Case 208: John Chau

Episode Date: April 23, 2022

In 2018, American missionary John Chau sailed out to North Sentinel, a forested island off the coast of India. He intended to spread the word of God to the Sentinelese, a small population of indigenous people considered the most remote tribe in the world. Yet, the Sentinelese have made it very clear to outsiders that they desire isolation above all else. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn This episode's sponsors: The Jordan Harbinger Show – Learn the stories, secrets, and skills of the world’s most brilliant and interesting people The Detective’s Dilemma – New podcast from Casefile Presents For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-208-john-chau

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If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me. I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, Here am I, here am I. All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people who walk in ways not good,

pursuing their own imaginations. At the age of ten, John Alan Chow stumbled across a copy of Robinson Crusoe in his father's study. The classic novel tells of a sailor shipwrecked on a deserted island. Captivated by the tale, John told his dad he wanted to live on a tropical island one day. Born in Alabama in 1991, John Chow spent most of his childhood in Vancouver, Washington. It was in the wilderness around his home where John developed a lifelong passion for the outdoors. As he got older, this love of nature morphed into something deeper. He saw it as a means to connect more fully with God.

John was raised as an evangelical Christian and faith played a critical role in his life. As he devoured Christian literature and stories, John found himself attracted to one facet of the religion in particular. Missionaries Mission work has been a part of Christianity since its inception, verses in the Gospel of Matthew quote Jesus Christ as telling his apostles to make disciples of all nations. These passages are known as the Great Commission and have led some Christians to believe they must save souls through conversion. As a teenager, John Chow encountered stories from the 19th and 20th centuries about famous missionaries who had converted people in Africa and South America.

In an article published by Outside Magazine, journalist Alex Perry describes how John felt a particular affinity to American missionary Jim Elliott. Elliott's mission failed, however, when he was killed by an isolated Ecuadorian tribe. In 2008, John experienced his first taste of missionary life when he travelled to Mexico to help build an orphanage. The trip was a success. It inspired John. Mission work was the perfect path for him. John returned from Mexico curious about other places where he might complete a mission. He turned to the Joshua Project. Based in Colorado Springs, the Joshua Project is a Christian organization that collects information on ethnic groups around the world to provide data for missionaries. Visitors to the Joshua Project website can scroll through its databases of Unreached Peoples, the organization's term for non-Christian cultures. Users can search by language, country or religion to find more than 6,000 societies that are deemed in need of saving.

John didn't want to go to a destination where others had already been. He wanted to reach people far away in the kind of remote locations he'd only ever read about. Clicking through the Joshua Project website, John discovered a page that caught his eye. It showed a tiny, blurry photo taken from the safety of a boat. It showed a small group of people gathered on a beach's shoreline, naked except for some loincloths. The entry was titled, Sentinelese in India. In the late 1870s, British naval officer Maurice Portman sailed through the Bay of Bengal, 1,370 kilometres east of India's mainland. Around him were the Andaman Islands, an archipelago of over 800 separate islands characterised by white sand beaches, lush rainforests, crystal clear lagoons and colourful coral reefs. Portman had been made officer-in-charge of the Andamanese. For the next 20 years, he travelled from island to island to, quote, civilise the native peoples, often times using force. In January 1880, Portman arrived on an island known as North Sentinel, a forested landmass roughly the size of Manhattan.

After days of searching, Portman discovered the island's inhabitants, the Sentinelese people. Theorised to have migrated to the island from the African continent tens of thousands of years prior, the Sentinelese were a hunter-gatherer society that lived in makeshift hearts. The adult stood between 5'3 to 5'5 and their skin was described as, quote, shining black. The islanders fled from Portman and his group of armed men and local trackers. Undeterred, they continued their search of the island until they came across an older couple and their child. The man raised his bow, but was tackled and disarmed before being taken hostage along with his family. Portman also managed to capture three more children and took the sick-subducted Sentinelese back to his house in Port Blair, the region's capital on South Andaman Island. Not long after their arrival, the couple grew sick and died.

Realising their illness was likely due to their contact with the outside world, Portman quickly sent the children back to North Sentinel Island along with an abundance of gifts. He didn't want to ruin his chances at making connections with the community. Portman later wrote about the incident, noting, This expedition was not a success. We cannot be said to have done anything more than increase their general terror of and hostility to all comers. After Maurice Portman's ill-fated trip, he kept trying to go back to North Sentinel, but he never established a relationship with the island's inhabitants. Many attribute his inhumane and fatal actions as to why the Sentinelese remained famously wary of outsiders to this day. Throughout the years, many others have attempted to reach out to the small population, but have been met with hostilities.

The Sentinelese have made it clear that they desire isolation above all else. Attempts at settlement in the 18th century devastated the five indigenous communities that resided on several of the Andaman Islands. Foreign infectious diseases and the introduction of drugs and alcohol by invaders decimated the native peoples. One tribe became extinct. Only one group managed to resist outsiders, the Sentinelese, considered the most secluded tribe in the world. It's believed that their population currently ranges between 100 and 150. The Indian government has made it illegal for anyone to visit North Sentinel Island or even go within three miles of it, both for the protection of the highly vulnerable residents and that of any would-be visitors. The Joshua Project's write-up about the Sentinelese explained that their language was unwritten and had no biblical resources.

It did note that visiting the island was banned, but concluded, Sentinelese people need to know that the creator God exists and that he loves them and paid the price for their sins. As soon as 17-year-old John Chow read about the Sentinelese in 2009, he felt certain of one thing. He had discovered his destiny. North Sentinel was the last frontier he'd dreamed of since childhood, a remote, unexplored island with residents who needed to hear Christ's message, and it had been left near untouched for him alone to discover and save. John began to speak of the Sentinelese often and openly.

One day, his father, Patrick, overheard John talking about the island with some friends. John knew his plan was dangerous, but at the same time, the risk made it all the more important. Patrick felt nothing but dismay. This didn't sound like a plan that would work out well for his son. Between 2012 and 2015, John flew to Cape Town for a university mission trip, went to Kurdistan with the Christian soccer charity, and took an evangelical tour of Israel. Then, in October 2015, he finally made his way to India. Over the next few years, John would travel to the Andamans a total of four times. As he spent more time there, he became increasingly convinced of going to North Sentinel.

He noticed a number of signs that pointed to him being the only person who could convert the Sentinelese. His Chinese heritage helped him blend in with the local fishermen, so he'd be better placed to sneak out to the island when the time finally came. And, like the Sentinelese, John was on the smaller side at 5'6 and 130 pounds. This would make him appear less threatening to the tribe. In the summer of 2017, John attended a two-month course on translating the Bible into new languages at the Canadian Institute of Linguistics. His dream was to learn Sentinelese, a language known by no one except the islanders, and interpret the Bible for them. If the tribe accepted him, John hoped to stay with them for many years, maybe even forever.

In October 2017, he flew to Missouri to participate in a rigorous three-week-long boot camp with missionary organization All Nations. The program was intended to teach John how to interact with foreigners who had little or no understanding of Christianity. In one instance, John was blindfolded and driven to an isolated location. He had to walk until he came across a pretend village. Members of All Nations dressed in clothes from thrift stores and carried spears in an effort to look like remote tribespeople. They pretended they couldn't understand what John was saying and took on hostile postures. John thrived during his training. The organizers were very impressed by him. John avoided romantic relationships so he'd have fewer ties to home.

He got vaccinations for 13 infectious diseases. He stuck to a healthy diet and exercised regularly. Sometimes, he took his kayak out in choppy waters to practice what it might be like to row out to North Sentinel. Over the course of two years, he read more than 100 books on mission work and anthropology. He also sought advice from others who had completed missions with uncontacted peoples. According to GQ Magazine, John put together a 27-step plan outlining how he would undertake his mission. First, he'd win the Sentinelese over with gifts and would use drawings to communicate his desire to stay with them. Then, he'd learn the language and translate relatable stories from the Bible for them.

Once he forged good relationships with the tribe's leaders, the entire group would join the Christian faith. By fall of 2018, John Chow was finally ready. He booked a flight to Port Blair and landed on October 16. Days later, he caught a 10-hour ferry to the island of Little Andaman. It lay some distance south of North Sentinel and was home to the Yonge tribe, one of the other remaining Andamanese peoples. According to Outside Magazine, John hoped to convince some of them to accompany him to North Sentinel, but was unable to, for reasons unknown. On November 3, John travelled back to Port Blair. His mission was one he'd have to undertake alone. Perhaps it was better that way.

The Sentinelese would be less threatened by one person than a group. John entered a self-imposed quarantine for the next 11 days. He gathered supplies, including pencils, tools, multivitamins, medicine, abdominal pad dressings, and dental forceps to remove arrows that might be shot at him. John also collected gifts that he would offer the islanders, safety pins, scissors, tweezers, fishing line, and hooks. One day, two friends of John's showed up. Both were evangelical Christians from America and were aware of his plan. John was excited when one of them shared good news. They had found some people who were willing to help him reach his goal. A crew of local fishermen had agreed to take John out to North Sentinel. They couldn't speak English, but they were Christians and were sympathetic to John's cause.

Because they'd be taking a great risk by helping him, they wanted 25,000 rupees, the equivalent of US$360. John readily agreed. A plan was made for them to set sail for the island on the evening of Wednesday, November 14. Hours before they were due to leave, John scribbled an entry in his journal. He asked God for help and gave thanks for being shaped and moulded as Christ's ambassador. Sailing under cover of darkness, the crew was careful to avoid the Indian Coast Guard. As they approached North Sentinel, John spotted three large fires burning on its eastern shoreline. But lights from boats in the distance prompted the crew to head south to avoid being caught by authorities.

They moored and waited for dawn to break. When he closed his eyes, John saw what he could only describe as a vision. Built across an island was a city skyline topped with the jagged spires. The scene was cast in a purple-coloured hue. John saw a meteorite fall to earth. He felt troubled and uneasy, but then the purple light and sharp spires faded. They were replaced with a pure white glow. John was no longer scared.

At 4.30am, the crew steered the boat into a cove on the west side of the island. A large hut crafted by the Sentinelese was visible on the shore. A few hours later, John began his approach. He loaded up a kayak with his gifts and personal documents, as well as two large fish that his crewmates had caught. John paddled towards the shore. As he drew closer, he heard women yell and cry out. He kept rowing. Two Sentinelese men suddenly appeared and ran towards him, both carrying bows and arrows.

John called out. My name is John. I love you, and Jesus loves you. Jesus Christ gave me authority to come to you. Here is some fish. The men ignored him and knocked arrows into their bows. John hastily threw one of the fish towards them, then the other, before paddling backwards to a safe distance. The Sentinelese men retrieved the fish. John decided to return to the boat for now. Hours later, John was ready for his second attempt.

This time he paddled his kayak loaded up with more fish and gifts to the island's north shore. Once again, the Sentinelese shouted upon seeing the stranger. When six Sentinelese men called out words that John couldn't understand, he tried to mimic them in an effort to communicate. This caused the group to laugh. Then, two islanders dropped their weapons and steered a handmade canoe out to meet him. John delivered the fish and some presents from a distance. The encounter seemed to be going well. Then, a young woman and a child emerged from the dense forest and walked towards the sand, both aiming bows at him. John gestured that they should drop their weapons. They ignored him.

By this time, the waves had picked up and John's kayak drifted towards some shallow coral behind him, blocking him in. Wondering if this was his moment of reckoning, John pulled out his waterproof Bible and recited verses from the Book of Genesis. One unarmed islander stood just inches away, so John handed him more gifts. When he got out of his kayak to show that he had two legs just as they did, the Sentinelese saw an opportunity and seized his vessel. John held his Bible in front of his chest, still speaking to the crowd. Then, the young boy who'd been aiming a bow released an arrow directly at him. It landed in the middle of John's Bible. He yanked the arrow from the book, threw it back towards the boy, then dove into the water. With his kayak gone, he had no choice but to swim back to the boat. Fit and strong, John was able to power through the water quite easily.

He breathed the sigh of relief when he finally reached the boat. When he checked his Bible, John saw that the arrow had pierced the Book of Isaiah, chapter 63 verse 5 to chapter 65 verse 2. In the Scripture, the prophet Isaiah predicts imminent judgment but eventual restoration for obstinate people. One section begins. I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me and goes on to encourage the reader to reach out to those who walk in ways not good in order to get them to commit to faith. John was shaken. He'd known that being shot at was a probable outcome of his attempts. It was well recorded that the Sentinelese pelted intruders with rocks, spears and arrows. But the experience had scared and upset John nonetheless.

Plus, when he lost his kayak, he had also lost everything it contained, including his passport and official documents. In his journal, John debated what to do. Would it be wiser to leave and let someone else continue? No, I don't think so. I'm stuck here anyway without a passport. It almost seems like certain death to stay here. Yet, there is evidential change in two encounters in a single day. John decided to rest on the boat overnight to regain his strength, then try again early the following morning. He was afraid of dying, but he was even more worried about who would take on the role of saving the Sentinelese if he gave up on his mission.

As he watched the sunset, John began to cry. He knew it might be the last time he ever saw such a sight. He missed his family and friends. None of the fishermen could speak English, and John desperately wanted someone to talk to. The next morning, he woke early to write once more in his journal and penned some letters to his friends and family. A little after 6.20am, John stripped down to his underpants so he would more closely resemble the Naked Islanders. He got back in the water. Then, he began swimming in the direction of the hut he'd visited the previous day.

That day, the five fishermen who'd taken John out to North Sentinel remained at sea, completing their usual work schedule. Afterwards, they spent another night out on the boat. Then, the following day, they headed back to North Sentinel to check on John. They strained their eyes as they steered around the perimeter of the island. Then, they noticed something. A few of the Sentinelese were using rope to drag something across the sand. It was a human corpse, with the rope wrapped around the neck. Nearby, was a recently dug grave.

The fishermen recognized the body instantly. It was John Chow. They watched as the Sentinelese dropped John into the grave and buried him. The fishermen rushed back to Port Blair. Word soon got back to John's mother, Linda. A missing person's report was immediately issued. The Andaman's director of police had North Sentinel Island scanned from the sky and water, but none of the officers could see any sign of John.

On November 21, police issued a press release titled, Urgent, Death of US National. It detailed how 26-year-old John Alan Chow had been killed during a misplaced adventure, trying to interact with uncontacted peoples in a highly restricted area. The bizarre story caught the attention of the world's media. Many criticized John's decision to attempt a mission in the area. By doing so, he had not only broken the law, but shown extreme disregard for the survival of the Sentinelese and their culture.

Some expressed regret that John had been killed, while also pointing out that his actions had been stupid at best. Others were more scathing, describing John as dumb with a misguided sense of moral superiority. The director of Survival International, a group that advocates for indigenous rights, issued a statement that read, the Sentinelese have shown again and again that they want to be left alone and their wishes should be respected. I hope this tragedy acts as a wake-up call to the Indian authorities to avert another disaster

and properly protect the lands of both the Sentinelese and the other Andaman tribes from further invaders. All nations, the missionary organization that John had trained with, also released a statement. It concluded, Throughout church history, the privilege of sharing the gospel has often involved great cost. We pray that John's sacrificial efforts will bear eternal fruit in due season. Indian law enforcement was faced with the difficult question of what to do in the wake of John's death. In his final letter to his family, John had acknowledged the likelihood that he could die and requested that his body not be retrieved.

The police agreed with this. Attempting to do so would be too dangerous, both for their officials and the Sentinelese. The killing of John Chow raised a unique ethical question. He was, by definition, murdered. However, those responsible for his death were extremely isolated from modern society and oblivious to the laws that govern it. The process of accessing the island to formally charge inhabitants was yet another risky proposition, both for law enforcement and the islanders.

Though it was considered initially. This notion was quickly put to rest when the US government announced that it had not asked the Indian government to pursue any sort of sanctions against the tribe. Nor would they do so themselves. Most members of the public believed the blame for John Chow's murder lay entirely at his own feet. That he had invited the aggression of the tribe, as it was well known that they violently resisted outsiders. Unlike the Sentinelese, those who'd taken John to meet with his killers could be pursued legally. The five fishermen had broken the law by abetting John's trip to the island.

They were all arrested, as was a local tour guide and the friend John stayed with in Port Blair. The wife of one of the fishermen told The New York Times, I am frustrated hearing John's name. He has filled my family with sorrow for our whole life. The Chow family asked for the release of the arrested individuals as they knew such a development would have deeply upset John. The arrestees were soon freed on bail. As of the release of this episode, there has been no news as to how prosecution is proceeding. In July 2020, news website Op India reported that Andaman police were planning to send a summons letter to John Chow's two American friends,

who visited Port Blair in the days before his death. They had put him in touch with the fishermen. Investigators had hinted that they believed John had been brainwashed into completing his mission. Although there are many records showing it had been his personal passion project for many years. John's father Patrick has been the most outspoken member of the family, openly blaming what he calls an extreme brand of Christianity for his son's death. In emails he exchanged with a journalist from The Guardian, Patrick described religion as the opium of the masses, and said John's fixation with faith had been a longstanding issue between the two of them. The Chows have left John's Instagram account online as a tribute to his life.

Comments are now restricted, but all of John's photos from his many adventures remain visible. The final and most recent picture is one his family uploaded several days after his death. It features a photograph of John beaming in front of a rushing river with mountains in the distance. It is accompanied by the caption, Words cannot express the sadness we have experienced. He was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and best friend to us. He loved God, life, helping those in need, and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people. We forgive those reportedly responsible for his death.

He ventured out on his own free will. John Chow remains buried on North Sentinel Island. In his final letter to his friends and family penned November 16, 2018, he wrote, You guys might think I'm crazy in all this, but I think it's worth it to declare Jesus to these people. This is not a pointless thing. The eternal lives of this tribe are at hand and I can't wait to see them around the throne of God worshipping in their language as Revelation chapter 7 verses 9 to 10 states. I love you all and I pray none of you love anything in this world more than Jesus Christ. Written from the Cove on the southwest ish of North Sentinel Island.

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