The State Department is monitoring reports from the Philippine authorities that Elliot Onil Eastman was kidnapped Thursday night by gunmen. The department is coordinating with local authorities to navigate the investigation.

Four armed men shot and kidnapped a 26-year-old from Vermont from western Mindanao, the police said. He had been living in the area since May.

Police in Sibuco town in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte tried to pursue the suspected abductors and their victim, who they identified as Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, from Vermont, after the reported abduction on Thursday night. "We confirm that ...

Police identified the victim as Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, from Vermont, after the reported abduction on Thursday night.

If confirmed to be a case of kidnapping for ransom, it would be the latest reminder of the long-running security problems that have hounded the southern Philippines, the homeland of a Muslim minority in the largely Roman Catholic nation.