Witness Recalls Terrifying Moment American Nurse, Daughter Kidnapped in Haiti

An American nurse who was kidnapped with her child in Haiti last week was reportedly seized by gunmen who demanded a $1 million ransom payment, a witness said.

A woman who witnessed the kidnapping of Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter recalled to the New York Post the terrifying scene that played out in a clinic run by the charity organization El Roi Haiti in Port au Prince last Thursday.

“When I saw the gun, I was so scared,” Lormina Louima, who was a patient at the clinic, told the Post this week.

One of the armed men told her to relax, she said.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to see this, let me go,’” she recalled.

Some local residents said the kidnappers demanded to be paid $1 million, similar to other incidents involving violent gangs in the region.

But the U.S. State Department has declined to confirm to the newspaper whether the kidnappers made such a demand.

“Obviously, the safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday.

“We are in regular contact with the Haitian authorities. 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.”

USA Today reported Tuesday that Jean-Junior Joseph, a senior advisor to Haiti's prime minister, said in a WhatsApp message an investigation by Haitian National Police is ongoing and that the police force is "working on it."

Joseph did not provide further details.

Dorsainvil is the wife of El Roi Haiti's director. The charity organization operates Christian religious schools for children who would otherwise not have access to an education.

Originally from New Hampshire, Dorsainvil moved to Haiti to provide medical care for children who attend her husband's school, according to a video on El Roi Haiti’s website.

The charity has asked people not to speculate about the whereabouts of Dorsainvil and her daughter.

According to the Post, approximately 200 Haitians marched on Port au Prince on Monday to call out government leaders over violence in the area and to demand the release of the kidnapped mother and daughter.

“She is doing good work in the community, free her,” one protester’s sign read.