A Missouri representative reported early Friday that his daughter and son-in-law, who were serving as missionaries in Haiti, were killed in gang violence in the country.
“My heart is shattered into pieces. I have never felt pain like this before,” state Rep. Ben Baker wrote on Facebook.
“As many of you know my daughter and son-in-law, Davey and Natalie Lloyd, are serving as full-time missionaries in Haiti. They were attacked by a gang this evening and both were killed. They have both gone to heaven. Please pray for my family. We really need strength. And please pray for Lloyd’s family. I have nothing else to say at this time.”
Baker, a Republican, represents Newton County (160th District) in the southwestern part of the state.
Natalie and Davey Lloyd were part of the nonprofit group Mission in Haiti, Inc., which posted about the incident and confirmed their deaths.
“Davey, Natalie and Jude were shot and killed by a gang at approximately 9pm today,” the nonprofit posted on social media early Friday. “We are all heartbroken.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Baker’s office.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson offered his condolences to the family on social media and said he was praying for them.
“Natalie and Davey were young people who shared peace, comfort and the word of God,” Parson wrote on X. “In light of this unimaginable and senseless tragedy, we remember the good they gave to the world.”
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He was taken away, “tied up and beaten.”
Late Thursday night, Mission in Haiti reported that the couple and at least one other person were ambushed by a group of men in three trucks as they were leaving a church.
“Davey was tied up, beaten and taken to a house,” the group wrote. “The gang then got into our truck, loaded it up with whatever they wanted and left.”
The post went on to say that the couple and another individual were inside the home trying to call for help.
“They are barricaded there and the gang has shot out all the windows in the house and are continuing to fire,” the post read.
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Who is Ben Baker?
According to Rep. Baker’s congressional webpage, Rep. Baker is a pastor, missionary, former professor and former dean of students at Ozark Bible Institute in Neosho.
A native of Indianapolis, he previously served as a city councilman and mayor of Neosho, Missouri, about 20 miles southeast of Joplin.
He is married and the couple have four daughters, including Natalie Lloyd.
Gang violence roils Haiti
In March, the prime minister of the Caribbean island nation of Haiti resigned due to gang violence.
After Haiti announced its new prime minister in April, gang attacks increased further, especially in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
More than 100,000 Haitians — including nearly half of the country’s police force — have fled the country since the U.S. launched its humanitarian migration program in 2022, according to the Palm Beach Post, a part of the USA Today Network.
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Haiti Travel Advisory Warning
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Haiti, the U.S.’s highest level of warning against traveling to a foreign country, citing “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and inadequate medical infrastructure.”
According to the United Nations, about 2,500 people were killed or injured as a result of gang violence in the first quarter of 2024.
Contributor: Antigone Barton for the Palm Beach Post
This is a developing story.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
