American nurse, child abducted in Haiti, organization says 

An American nurse and her child have been abducted in Haiti, a faith-based organization in connection to the woman revealed on Saturday.

El Roi Haiti, a faith-based nonprofit organization, confirmed Saturday that their director’s wife, Alix Dorsainvil, and their child were abducted from its campus near its location near Port-au-Prince on July 27. The organization said they were taken while “serving in our community ministry.”

“Our team at El Roi Haiti is grateful for the outpouring of prayers, care, and support for our colleague,” the organization posted on its blog. “We continue to work with our partners and trusted relationships to secure their safe return.”

“We can confirm that Alix Dorsainvil, our Director’s wife, and their child were kidnapped on the morning of Thursday, July 27th from our campus near Port au Prince while serving in our community ministry,” the organization said.

A State Department spokesperson said the department was aware of the reports of the two U.S. citizens in Haiti when reached for comment by The Hill. The spokesperson also said that the department is in “regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners.”

“The U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the spokesperson said.

Their kidnapping occurred the same day the State Department ordered all non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members to leave Haiti “due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.” The department also has a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory in place for Haiti for the same reasons.

“Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens,” the State Department said in its advisory. “Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked. Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings.”