An American nurse and her child kidnapped in Haiti thirteen days ago have been set free, according to a statement put out by El Roi Haiti, which confirmed “the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil” and her young daughter, who has not been named.
“It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti. Today we are praising God for answered prayer,” the statement said.
The organization asked that no one contact Dorsainvil or her family saying, “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation.”
There are no details available on how the woman and her daughter were freed, whether a ranson was paid, who kidnapped them, or any other information about what happened in the 13 days after the pair were abducted.
Haitian National Police told CNN they couldn’t comment on the matter because it’s still under investigation.
Ms Dorsainvil was working at a local ministry site outside Port-au-Prince on 27 July when the two were taken.
Armed gangs have carved up the capital city, kidnapping and killing at will. Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped from the community ministry in Port-au-Prince on July 27 – it remains unclear who kidnapped the pair and why.
Hours after the kidnapping, the US State Department ordered non-emergency government personnel and the family members of embassy officials to leave Haiti.
“Do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure,” the agency’s updated travel advisory read, warning that the abduction of US citizens is “widespread”.
Ms Dorsainvil is the wife of El Roi’s founding director, Sandro Dorsainvil. The Christian non-profit previously said it was working with authorities and partners to negotiate the mother and daughter’s safe release.
They are believed to have been freed on Tuesday night.
Originally from the state of New Hampshire, Ms Dorsainvil first visited Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and has worked as a school and community nurse since 2020.
The organisation described her in an earlier statement as “a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family”.
“She had lived in Haiti for multiple years, showing love and care in a variety of ways before coming on staff with us, but has had a heart for the hurting since she was a child,” it added.
Mr Dorsainvil grew up in poverty in Port-au-Prince, according to the charity. In 2014 he graduated from a high school in the state of Montana.
The poorest country in the Americas has been in political crisis for many years, but since the assassination of President Moise in 2021, things have got even worse.
Gangs control around 80% of the capital, and violent crimes such as kidnappings and armed robbery are so common as to be the new normal.
From January to June this year, there have already been 1,014 kidnappings in Haiti, according to the UN.
Sources: BBC, CNN.
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