Food Influencer Dead After Hunting, Eating Poisonous Shellfish

Per Barangay city police Chief Laddy Gemang, Amit’s lips turned blue, and she became unconscious within minutes after consuming the Zosimus aeneus crab. Amit was rushed to the hospital, where she died two days later despite the best efforts of doctors and nurses. An unidentified friend of Amit’s who ate the Devil Crab alongside the content creator also died after consuming the dish. Authorities who investigated the scene at Amit’s house found nearly 10 emptied Devil Crab shells in the kitchen.

"I saw the shells; there were around eight,” Gemang shared. “I don't know if all of them were Devil Crabs, but they all looked alike," he said, adding that Amit was an experienced hunter and fisher and would’ve known which type of crab they were. "This is really saddening because they should have known. She and her husband are both fisherfolk. They live by the sea, so I know they know about this devil crab that's dangerous to eat. So why did she eat it? That is what I'm confused about."

Devil Crabs Contain Fatal Blend of Toxins

The so-called Devil Crab lives beneath coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific region. It’s considered to be the most poisonous crab in the Philippines, containing a combination of the toxins tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin, which can be fatal when ingested by humans. Fifty percent of Devil Crab cases in the country prove fatal, per Sea Life Base.

“To the residents of Puerto Princesa, I am urging you to be doubly vigilant. Be careful not to eat this devil crab because it is deadly," Gemang urged. "It is very dangerous to eat this type of crab because it can kill you in a matter of hours.”

Amit was a well-known food vlogger who posted videos of her adventures throughout the Philippines. She often shared clips of herself fishing alongside her husband, and videos of the two cooking with their children. Her lifelong friend, Beverly Villanueva, expressed her condolences after Amit’s “shocking and sudden” death. "You were like an older sister," she wrote on Facebook. "I will miss you always. I know you didn’t want to leave yet because you still had so many plans in life, but why? That’s a question that will never be answered, because you’re gone.”