Officials are seeking an American nurse and her daughter after they were reportedly kidnapped near Port-au-Prince in Haiti on July 27 while on a humanitarian mission.
Suspects kidnapped Alix Dorsainvil and her child Thursday while they worked with the Christian humanitarian organization El Roi Haiti, founded by Dorsainvil’s husband, Sandro, CBS News reported. The organization sought to make affordable education accessible to the Haitian people, teaching a faith-based curriculum to its students. Dorsainvil worked as a nurse at a school run by the organization near Port-au-Prince, where she lived before she and her child were reportedly kidnapped from the campus, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Gang Blames For Kidnapping 17 American Missionaries In Haiti)
An American nurse and her child were kidnapped near Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince on Thursday, according to the nonprofit organization where the woman works and where her husband serves as director. https://t.co/n69X2WWhfE
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 31, 2023
“Our team at El Roi Haiti is grateful for the outpouring of prayers, care, and support for our colleague. We continue to work with our partners and trusted relationships to secure their safe return,” Jason Brown, the president and co-founder of El Roi Haiti Outreach International, said in a statement on the organization’s website.
“Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family. Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus,” Brown continued.
Federal officials confirmed Dorsainvil’s kidnapping, assuring that they were in “regular contact with Haitian authorities” in an effort to discover the whereabouts of the mother and child, CBS News reported.
“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. We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti. We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners. We have nothing further to share at this time,” a State Department spokesperson told the outlet.
The U.S. State Department has advised American citizens to avoid travel to Haiti due to the rising incidents of kidnappings that regularly include U.S. citizens, the outlet stated.