Three members of American missionary group killed by gangs in Haiti

Three members of an American-based mission organization were killed by gangs in Haiti on Thursday night, including the daughter of a Missouri state lawmaker, after the gang attacked their compound where the group was working.

The Biden administration ordered all Americans in Haiti to try to get out earlier this year, after violent gangs took over the streets. Gang violence has been an issue in the Caribbean nation for decades, but escalated after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Around 2,500 people were killed or injured in gang violence in the first quarter of 2024, according to NBC News.

The two deceased Americans have been identified as David Lloyd III and his wife, Natalie, who were full-time missionaries with the organization Missions in Haiti. Natalie Lloyd was the daughter of Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker and David Lloyd was the son of the organization's founders. The third member of the group has not been identified.

Alicia Lloyd, the mother of David Lloyd III, said her son called her and was crying when the Haitian gang was attacking the compound in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Her son had grown up in Haiti, but went to college in the United States. He returned after college with his wife to continue working with the Haitian people.

“It’s sad for me to say, but he died doing what he loved because he just wanted to help the Haitian people,” she told NBC News. “Because growing up there, he saw their suffering. He saw the misery there, and he just wanted to do something to make a difference.”

Alicia Lloyd said the three missionaries had survived one attack by a gang, who had beaten her son, but a second gang came after neighbors checked in on them. The trio were stuck inside the compound with the gang for several hours, and the missionary organization had attempted to negotiate for their release, and tried to get a car to them to help them get out. But they eventually lost contact with the trio in the compound, and discovered later that all three were fatally shot by the gang. 

Alicia Lloyd said she was in Haiti at the time of the attack, but her husband left Wednesday to return to the United States.

Baker confirmed his daughter's and son-in-law's death in a statement to X on Friday, describing the couple as the "perfect example of a life of putting others before self."

"Words seem empty right now…Our hearts are broken. This is the hardest thing we have ever done. We’re grieving, but we want Davy and Natalie’s story to be told because it deserves to be told," Baker wrote in his post. "[They lived] A life of loving people so deeply that you would give your life for them even if some of them were full of hate. This level of selflessness is so rare to see especially in young people their age. They loved Haiti, it was their heart."

Baker asked for prayers for his family and the Lloyd family. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.