Kidnapped American nurse Alix Dorsanvail and her child are both “healthy and unharmed” after their release in Haiti — where they’d been held in an area controlled by a notoriously ruthless gang, it emerged Thursday.
El Roi Haiti, the Christian non-profit led by Dorsanvail’s husband, revealed Thursday that US officials had been key in freeing the mother and child on Tuesday, a day before their release was announced.
“Alix and her daughter were released healthy and unharmed after 13 days of captivity,” the group said.
“We could not be more thankful for the safety of our dear sister, friend, and staff member.
“Alix is a remarkably resilient woman whose walk with God guides her deep love for her family and her passionate commitment to the Haitian people.”
The update did not detail who had kidnapped the pair or if a ransom had been paid.
Earlier reports suggested there had been a demand for $1 million.
However, El Roi credited “key US law enforcement and State Department representatives who worked tirelessly behind the scenes” in gaining their freedom.
The nonprofit also extended its gratitude to Concilium Inc., a ministry that provides security training to Christian missionaries, for providing crisis consultants who participated in the “recovery process.”
“God demonstrated His loving kindness through both private and public sector partners and resources who helped us navigate this crisis,” El Roi said.
When Dorsanvail and her daughter were abducted from a clinic outside Port au Prince, her cellphone was used to call her husband, Sandro Dorsainvil, a local law enforcement source told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The phone pinged to an area not far from the site of the kidnapping, in a territory dominated by the Canaan gang — a ruthless criminal organization known to carry out kidnappings, the source said.
The thugs demanded a large ransom — previously reported to be $1 million — for the hostages’ release.
It was unclear whether a ransom had been paid for the mother and child’s return. However, ransom demands of $1 million are not unusual, according to Pierre Esperance, executive director of the National Human Rights Defense Network in Haiti.
Some will accept a fraction of their initial request, but then demand a second or third ransom before releasing someone
“The gangs are terrorists,” he said.
The US State Department has also not commented on whether a ransom was p[aid, only saying it welcomed the return of Dorsainvil and her child.
“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas,” the agency said.
“As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”
Dorsainvil and her child were led away by armed gang members from the El Roi campus on July 27, the same day that Dr. Samson Marseille, the head of Haiti’s epidemiological department, was abducted. He has yet to be released.
Also that day, the US State Department warned Americans to leave Haiti “as soon as possible” and ordered the departure of nonemergency US government personnel because of security concerns. The country remains under a US “do not travel” advisory.
The nurse, originally from New Hampshire, is married to the director of the clinic, Sandro Dorsainvil. People in the community described Alix as being like a “mother” to them.
“If we have any problems, we don’t need to go anywhere else,” Fredline Valcourt said. “She would take care of us.”
Gang members regularly kill, rape and hold residents for ransom in Haiti.
Some are held captive for months.
A local nonprofit has documented 539 kidnappings since January.From May to mid-July alone, at least 40 people were kidnapped, including a well-known journalist, 6 security guards, a police officer and the former president of Haiti’s provisional electoral council.