A Missouri state representative is mourning the death of his daughter and her husband, who were reportedly killed by gangs in Haiti. Representative Ben Baker’s (R, MO) daughter, Natalie Lloyd, 21, and her husband Davy Lloyd, 23, worked as full-time missionaries in Port au Prince, Haiti as part of Missions in Haiti, Inc a missions organization started by Davy’s parents. The couple were leaving a youth service on Thursday when they were ambushed by a gang. According to the Mission’s Facebook page, which posted about the attack as it happened, the couple was ambushed by “3 trucks full of guys.” Davy was tied up and beaten. Another gang appeared, resulting in a shootout. By the end of the shootout, both Davy and Natalie were dead, as well as the Mission’s local director, Jude Montis, 20.

Representative Baker took to social media to share the news. “Words seem empty right now…Our hearts are broken. This is the hardest thing we have ever done,” he wrote. He recalled their love of Haiti and the Haitian people. “They were the perfect example of a life of putting others before self.” He asked for prayers for his family and the Lloyds as they continued to grieve. Former President Trump shared his condolences on Truth Social, writing, “God bless Davy and Natalie. Such a tragedy. Haiti is totally out of control. Find the killers NOW!!!” Baker stated he had also received a call from the former President to share his condolences. Haiti has been in political turmoil since 2021, when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated. On February 29^th of this year, gangs coordinated attacks against police stations and released over 4,000 prisoners from prison. Gangs control 80 percent of the capital. Despite the turmoil, Davy and Natalie were married in 2022 and moved to Haiti three months later.

Due to the upheaval, the couple’s families have struggled to transport the bodies back home. On May 24^th, Baker shared a statement from the family saying they were working to obtain a travel waiver. “Prayers appreciated for this current situation: We are working to obtain waivers to transport their bodies home. Unfortunately, embalming services are not available, so they have to get a waiver to send them only partially embalmed. Then, we have to find an airline willing to do the transport with them in that state. Congressman Burlison is helping us work that angle,” the statement said. Baker also wrote on his Facebook page that the bodies had been transported to the US Embassy. Another post warned against viewing any videos that claimed to be the couple’s bodies being burned or donating to any unofficial GoFundme’s. As of May 28, Baker had posted that transportation had been arranged but that all details would remain private, “to protect the privacy of the family in a very emotional and vulnerable time.”  Please pray for the Lloyd and Baker families during this time.