What we know about the young missionaries and religious leaders killed in Haiti

The bodies of a young American missionary couple who were attacked and fatally shot by gang members in Haiti are expected to be transported to Missouri this week, a spokesperson for the families said Sunday.

The killings of Davy and Natalie Lloyd, as well as Jude Montis, the local director of a mission group, Missions in Haiti Inc., took place Thursday in the community of Lizon, north of Port-au-Prince. They were leaving a youth group activity at a church, a family member told The Associated Press.

Natalie Lloyd is the daughter of Missouri State Representative Ben Baker.

Speaking on behalf of the Lloyd and Baker families in a Facebook post on the Baker page, Cassidy Anderson said Sunday that transportation had been arranged for the bodies' arrival Thursday in Missouri. But Anderson added that “security is going to be very difficult.”

Haiti's capital is collapsing under relentless assaults from violent gangs who control 80% of Port-au-Prince, while authorities await the arrival of a police force from Kenya in a sustained deployment by the UN aimed at suppressing gang violence in this troubled area. Caribbean countries.

Here are some things to know about the missionary work, focused on helping Haiti's children, and the deadly gang attack.

WORK IN HAITI

The Missions in Haiti website says its goal is to “see the Gospel of Christ make a difference in the lives of Haiti's youth.”

Davy Lloyd's parents, David and Alicia Lloyd, of Oklahoma, started the organization in 2000 seeking to focus on the children of Haiti. David and Alicia Lloyd are full-time missionaries in the country.

“Although the entire nation is plunged into poverty, it is children who suffer the most,” they wrote on the website. “Thousands of people are malnourished, uneducated and headed for a life of despair without Christ. »

Hannah Cornett, Davy's sister, told AP they grew up in Haiti. Davy went to the United States to attend a Bible college and married Natalie in June 2022. After the wedding, the couple wasted no time moving to Haiti to do humanitarian work.

Cornett said Montis, a Haitian, worked in missions in Haiti for 20 years.

The organization's efforts include House of Compassion, which provides housing for 36 children – 18 boys and 18 girls, its website says. “All are destined to stay at the House of Compassion until they have completed their studies and are ready to live on their own.”

Good Hope Boys' Home houses 22 boys, according to the website. The organization also built a church, a bakery and a school for more than 240 students.

THE ATTACK

A Facebook post on the Haiti Missions page said Davy Lloyd, 23, and Natalie Lloyd, 21, along with some children, were leaving a church when gang members in three trucks ambushed them .

Davy Lloyd then called his family to tell them that gang members had hit him in the head with the barrel of a gun, forced him upstairs, stole their belongings and had left tied up, Cornett said.

As people helped untie Davy Lloyd, another group of armed men appeared, Cornett said.

“Nobody understood what they were doing, I'm not sure what happened, but one of them was shot and killed and now this gang has gone into full attack mode,” said the message from Missions in Haiti.

The couple and Montis fled to a house connected to the mission.

“They tried to hide there, but the gang fired on the house,” Cornett said.

GRIEVING FAMILIES

Cornett said Montis left behind two children, ages 2 and 6.

Montis' family could not be reached for comment Friday, and the missions in Haiti did not respond to a request for comment from the AP.

Missions in Haiti said in a Facebook post Saturday that they were “facing the most difficult time of our lives.”

“The embassy is working to complete all the necessary paperwork so that it can be flown to the states and much more behind the scenes to make this happen faster and safer,” the post said, adding that children and staff from missions in Haiti have been relocated to a safer location.

Baker, Natalie Lloyd's father and a Republican state representative in Missouri, said on Facebook Friday that the couple's bodies had been safely transported to the U.S. Embassy. Throughout the weekend, Baker's Facebook page provided updates on efforts to arrange transportation to Missouri.

On Sunday, Anderson wrote on behalf of the families that plans were confirmed and transportation had been provided.

Baker wrote on Facebook early Friday morning that his heart was broken “into a thousand pieces.”

“I’ve never felt this kind of pain,” he said. “Most of you know that my daughter and son-in-law Davy and Natalie Lloyd are full-time missionaries in Haiti. They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed. They went to heaven together. Please pray for my family, we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family as well. I have no other words at the moment.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, urged President Joe Biden in a letter Sunday to ensure adequate security measures are taken to safely repatriate the bodies to the United States, citing the “lawless” conditions prevailing. in Port-au-Prince, infested with gangs.

“Haitian gangs are heavily armed and could delay or even hijack vehicles carrying the Lloyds' bodies,” Hawley wrote. “I must emphasize the critical importance of sufficient security personnel to protect the transport during the journey to the final point of departure.”

The White House did not immediately comment on Hawley's request.

On Saturday, the families received condolences from former President Donald Trump, who spoke at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, D.C., and called it a “very, very sad moment.”

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Associated Press writer Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri, contributed.