Missouri politician Ben Baker’s daughter and son-in-law were killed in Haiti while working there as missionaries.
Rep. Baker said in a social media post that his daughter Natalie and son-in-law Davy were attacked by gangs Thursday night.
In an emotional statement, Baker said: ‘My heart is broken into a thousand pieces. I have never felt this kind of pain.
‘Most of you know that my daughter and son-in-law Davy and Natalie Lloyd are full-time missionaries in Haiti.
‘This afternoon they were attacked by gangs and both were murdered. They went to heaven together.
Haiti descended into chaos after February attacks in which gunmen took control of police stations and attacked the airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Rep. Baker said in a social media post that his daughter Natalie and son-in-law Davy, seen here, were attacked by gangs Thursday night.
In an emotional statement published by the politician, seen here, he said his heart was broken into a thousand pieces.
Baker added: ‘Please pray for my family, we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family as well. I have no other words for now.’
The couple had been working for Missions in Haiti, who shared an update on what had happened to the couple.
In a post on its social media, the organization said the two were ambushed by a gang of three truckloads of men after leaving the church.
The group said they took Davy to a house, tied him up and then beat him before the gang stole the group’s trucks and everything they owned.
After that gang left the area, another arrived and one member was shot dead, causing them to go into “full attack mode”, according to the charity.
The couple are said to have been using Starlink Internet to call for help and hid inside a property.
The charity said: “So they are hiding there, the gangs have shot out all the windows in the house and are continuing to shoot.”
‘Their lives are in danger. I’ve been trying with all my contacts to get an armored police vehicle to evacuate them to safety, but I can’t get anyone to do it.
“I’m also trying to negotiate with the gang how much money to give to withdraw and let them leave and get to safety.”
In an update just hours later, the charity confirmed they had been shot dead by the gang and said they were all devastated by their loss.
In a post on its social media, the organization said the two, seen here with Ben Baker, were ambushed by a gang of three truckloads of men after leaving the church.
The couple had been working for Missions in Haiti, who shared an update about what had happened to the couple on social media.
The couple are said to have been using Starlink Internet to call for help and hid inside a property.
Gangs control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince and coordinated attacks paralyzed the capital and beyond.
The gangs burned police stations and hospitals, opened fire on the main international airport and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 inmates.
The airport attack left former Prime Minister Ariel Henry excluded from Haiti as he was on an official trip to Kenya at the time.
He has since resigned and a transitional presidential council is searching for a new prime minister for Haiti. He is also tasked with selecting a new Cabinet and organizing general elections.
Since then, gangs have targeted previously peaceful communities, leaving thousands homeless.
Motorists drive past a burning barricade during a protest following an escalation of violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 7, 2024.
A police officer sits inside his vehicle with the windshield damaged by bullet holes, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, May 11, 2024.
A girl is led by the hand next to a burned-out car blocking the street as residents evacuate the Delmas 22 neighborhood to escape gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on May 2.
More than 2,500 people have been killed or injured in Haiti from January to March, an increase of more than 50% compared to the same period last year, according to the United Nations.
After months of inactivity, the main international airport reopened for the first time earlier this week.
The reopening of Toussaint-Louverture airport in the capital Port-au-Prince is expected to help alleviate a critical shortage of medicines and other basic supplies as the country’s main seaport remains paralyzed.
Only Sunrise Airways, a local airline, flies in and out of Port-au-Prince for now. U.S.-based airlines are not expected to begin doing so until late May or early June.
The United States evacuated hundreds of its citizens by helicopter from a mountainous neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, as did nonprofit organizations, as gangs laid siege to parts of the capital.
President Biden sa