Haiti Kidnappers Demand $400,000 for Florida Couple Abducted at Port-Au-Prince

By BERT HOOVER Mar 27 2023, 01:31 AM EDT

A Florida couple was allegedly kidnapped in Haiti a week and a day ago after being ordered off a bus, according to their relatives, the New York Post reported.

The 33-year-old couple Jean-Dickens and Abigail Toussaint reportedly had $6,000 paid in ransom, but their family says the Haiti kidnappers now want upwards of $200,000 per person.

The couple's little kid, who would turn two in a few days, was left behind at their home in Tamarac, Broward County, Florida.

The security of American citizens is the top concern of the U.S. Department of State and its diplomatic missions around the world, said a State Department spokesperson, stating that they are aware of the kidnapping of the Florida couple in Haiti.

"When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we share information with families however we can. We have nothing further to share at this time," the spokesperson added.

Florida Couple Was in Haiti to Visit a Family

Christie Desormes, the Toussaints' niece from Silver Spring, Maryland, said that her aunt and uncle only intended to spend four days in Haiti to see relatives and take part in a festival, Fox News noted.

They were reportedly abducted on March 18 while riding a bus out of the Port-au-Prince area.

"They stopped the bus at a stop and then asked for Americans to get off the bus and their escorts off the bus, and then they took them," Desormes said, stating that she could not believe that her relatives, the Florida couple, were kidnapped since she just saw them a month ago for her birthday.

She admitted she has the worst-case scenario playing in her head, but clearly, she does not want it to happen.

"We just want to hear their voice as proof that they are still alive," she continued.

Desormes and her mother said that the family had already paid a ransom of $6,000 but that the alleged Haiti kidnappers had now raised the price.

"Once we sent that money, they tried to up the price to $200,000 per person, and we don't have that type of money," she said.

Meanwhile, local police have not commented yet about the Haiti kidnapping.

Gang Problems in Haiti

Since President Jovenel Moise was killed in 2021, gangs in Haiti have flourished, and significant swaths of the city and most of the countryside are now considered lawless, said Reuters.

Gun battles between police and gangs have been routine in recent months, significantly deteriorating an already dire security situation, and turf wars have resulted in hundreds of deaths and displaced thousands.

Christian Help Ministries of Ohio, which had organized the trip, had 17 missionaries from the United States and Canada abducted by Haiti kidnappers and held for ransom in 2021.

Twelve detainees reportedly escaped independently, despite the group's claims that they were released after a ransom was paid.

Due to the Haiti kidnapping, violence, and social turmoil, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning against Haiti as of December 1, 2022.

The current security and health conditions and infrastructure issues necessitate U.S. citizens to leave Haiti immediately, as stated in the Level 4 recommendation.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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