Haiti: Death of Three Foreign Missionaries Repudiated

May 28, 2024 Hour: 5:31 pm

On Tuesday, Haiti’s Office of Citizen Protection (OPCH ) expressed its dismay after the murder of three foreign missionaries working in an orphanage in the Caribbean nation, where gangs are keeping the citizenry under siege.

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U.S. Missionaries Killed by Gangs in Haiti

In its note, the OPCH made public its indignation and described as villainous the bloody act against the foreign workers that took place on 23 May in Lizon, in the Cul-de-Sac plain.

For its part, the Conference of Haitian Pastors (Copah) condemned the murder of three foreign missionaries.

The tragic event “is a poignant reminder of the urgency of decisive and concerted action to restore peace and security in Haiti,” a Copah communiqué stressed.

This brutal murder is a barbaric act, which must mark the beginning of the end of this macabre series, emphasizes the religious body’s text.

The brutal assassination of the American missionaries…is a barbaric act that must mark the beginning of the end of this macabre series. This tragic event is a poignant reminder of the urgency for decisive and concerted action to restore peace and security in our country.

— Conference des Pasteurs Haitiens (COPAH) (@copahhaiti)
May 27, 2024

Natalie Lloyd, Davy Lloyd and Jude Montis were ambushed on the night of 23 May by a group of criminals on their way home from church.

Davy Lloyd was beaten and forcibly taken into his home by the assailants, who then ransacked his belongings before leaving.

Suddenly, another gang intervened, claiming to want to help, but the situation quickly escalated into a violent confrontation.

Shots were fired, endangering the lives of Davy, Natalie and Jude Montis, and despite desperate attempts at negotiation and rescue, including the search for a safe evacuation, efforts to save them failed, the Juno 7 newspaper reported.

The online newspaper said Natalie Lloyd is the daughter of Missouri Congressman Ben Baker and his son-in-law Davy Lloyd.

The daily Le Facteur Haiti, which also reported the story, said the gangs included the so-called Nasty Dogs.

They ransacked the orphanage, took vehicles and took several children hostage, according to the testimony of the officials of the mission to which those killed belonged.

Juno 7 recalled that 20 missionaries were taken hostage by a gang in 2022. The gang’s leader is Vitel’Homme Innocent, for whom the US State Department is offering a reward of up to two million dollars for anyone who can provide information on his whereabouts.

Some people in the Caribbean nation were upset recently that Vitel’Homme Innocent himself gave an interview to CNN, a US media outlet, which put a price on his head.