What we know about the young missionaries and religious leaders killed in Haiti

The local leader of a mission group in Haiti and a missionary couple from the USA were attacked and shot by gang members after leaving a youth group activity at a church, a family member told the Associated Press.

The murder of Jude Montis, the local director of Missions in Haiti Inc., and Davy and Natalie Lloyd, a young couple from the United States, occurred on Thursday in the municipality of Lizon in the north Port au PrinceThey were killed as the capital crumbled under relentless attacks from violent gangs who control 80% of the capital, while authorities await the arrival of a police force from Kenya, part of a United Nations-backed operation to curb gang violence in the troubled Caribbean nation.

Here you can learn more about the missionary work that focused on helping the children of Haiti and the gang attack that left three people dead.

WORKING IN HAITI

The Missions in Haiti website states that the organization’s goal is “to ensure that the gospel of Christ makes a difference in the lives of Haiti’s young people.”

Davy Lloyd’s parents, David and Alicia Lloyd of Oklahoma, founded the organization in 2000 with a goal of focusing on the children of Haiti. David and Alicia Lloyd are full-time missionaries in Haiti.

“Although the entire country is mired in poverty, children suffer the most,” they wrote on the website. “Thousands are malnourished, uneducated and headed for a hopeless life without Christ.”

Hannah Cornett, Davy’s sister, told The Associated Press that they grew up in Haiti. Davy Lloyd went to the United States to attend Bible school and married Natalie in June 2022. After the wedding, the couple moved to Haiti without much delay to do humanitarian work.

Cornett said Montis, a Haitian, had worked in missions in Haiti for 20 years.

The organization’s activities include the House of Compassion, which provides housing for 36 children – 18 boys and 18 girls – according to its website. “All are designated to stay at the House of Compassion until they finish school and are ready to stand on their own two feet.”

The Good Hope Boys’ Home provides a home for 22 boys, the website said. The organization has also built a church, a bakery and a school with over 240 students, the website said.

THE ATTACK

A Facebook post on the Missions in Haiti page said that 23-year-old Davy Lloyd and 21-year-old Natalie Lloyd were leaving a church with some children when they were ambushed by gang members in three trucks.

Davy Lloyd later called his family and told them that gang members had hit him in the head with the muzzle of a gun, dragged him upstairs, stolen their belongings and left him tied up, Cornett said.

While people were helping to untie Davy Lloyd, another group of armed men appeared, Cornett said.

“Nobody understood what they were doing. I’m not sure what happened, but one was shot and now this gang has gone into attack mode,” the Missions in Haiti post said.

The couple and Montis fled to a house attached to the mission.

“They tried to take cover there, but the gang shot up the house,” Cornett said.

Ben Baker, Natalie Lloyd’s father and a Republican state representative in Missouri, posted on Facebook on Friday that the bodies of Davy and Natalie Lloyd had been safely transported to the U.S. embassy.

MOURNING FAMILIES

Cornett said Montis left behind two children, ages 2 and 6.

Montis’ family could not be reached for comment Friday. It is unclear whether he used social media and, if so, whether his profiles are public. Haitian officials did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for comment Friday.

Baker wrote on Facebook that his heart was broken “into a thousand pieces.”

“I have never felt such pain,” Baker wrote. “Most of you know that my daughter and son-in-law, Davy and Natalie Lloyd, are full-time missionaries in Haiti. They were attacked by gangs tonight and both killed. They went to heaven together. Please pray for my family, we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family too. I am at a loss for words right now.”