American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were abducted last Thursday from a small health clinic near Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Both Haitian and U.S. authorities are investigating the abduction, but no information has been publicly released on who abducted her, what they want, or what it will take to free her.
The incident highlights what the U.S. State Department has deemed a rising risk of kidnapping and other crimes against Americans in the country.
Here’s what we know.
Who is Alix Dorsainvil?
Dorsainvil is an American nurse who was seized by kidnappers last Thursday while working in a small brick clinic of the nonprofit Christian ministry El Roi Haiti, according to The Associated Press.
Originally from New Hampshire, Dorsainvil visited Haiti soon after the 2010 earthquake while still in college and fell in love with the people, continuing to visit during her breaks from school, according to a blog post from El Roi.
In an El Roi promotional video, Dorsainvil said she came to Haiti at the request of El Roi’s founder, and now her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil. She served as the community health nurse for the organization’s school children.
What happened to Dorsainvil?
Witnesses told the AP that that a group of armed men infiltrated El Roi Haiti’s clinic and seized Dorsainvil, demanding a ransom of $1 million. A patient added that one of the perpetrators held her at gunpoint and told her to “relax.”
The organization released a statement two days after their disappearance confirming the incident and asking for people’s prayers for the mother and daughter’s safe return.
El Roi’s press releases have repeatedly stated that it is working with Haitian and American officials and partners to rescue the two, though it has not shared any specifics.
Growing concern over kidnappings
On the same day of the kidnapping, the U.S. State Department asked that all nonemergency government officials leave Haiti due to the escalating disputes between criminal groups and Port-au-Prince law enforcement.
The $1 million ransom demand is not unusual for abduction negotiations in Haiti. But kidnappings in Haiti are not limited to the wealthy.
A United Nations report said that kidnappings have increased in recent years, rising to 1,014 reported abductions between January and June of this year. The victims of these incidents included women, girls, and boys.
The State Department’s advisory warned about rife kidnapping in the country, adding that U.S. citizens are frequently targeted.
In October 2021, 17 missionaries from the U.S. and Canada were abducted in a similar manner. They were gradually released after a ransom was paid.
What’s the latest?
Six days have passed since the abduction.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined the AP’s request for comment on the demands from Dorsainvil’s abductors.
“Obviously, the safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority. We are in regular contact with the Haitian authorities,” Miller wrote in a statement Monday. “We’ll continue to work with them and our US government interagency partners, but because it’s an ongoing law enforcement investigation, there’s not more detail I can offer.”
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday the situation “is still precarious” but that Biden has been briefed on Dorsainvil’s case, and the administration is working to secure her release.
“We’re working on this as hard as we can. We want to see her released. We want to see her back home with her family where she belongs,” Kirby said in a briefing with reporters.
“But again, I think it’s probably the most prudent thing for us to do to not publicly talk about those efforts in any great detail, as the situation is still precarious,” Kirby added. “So we’re all very, very mindful of her case and certainly mindful that she has a young child with her and doing everything we can to try to secure her release.”
Senior advisor to the Haitian prime minister, Jean-Junior Joseph, told USA Today in a WhatsApp message that the Haitian National Police is “working on it.”
In the meantime, protestors have taken to the streets demanding the release of Dorsainvil and calling for peace.
Community members told the AP that they are worried the abduction will lead El Roi to close their facility, one of few that still provides basic needs such as health care and education. Others, including Doctors without Borders, have already suspended services to the area after 20 armed men abducted a patient from an operating room.
The AP reported that the doors to the organization’s clinic were shut and the building was empty this week.
El Roi has not commented on the status of the clinic but said on its blog that it will continue to provide “appropriate and relevant” updates.
Laura Kelly contributed.