An American nurse and her daughter who were been abducted in Haiti were set free following a July kidnapping that spotlighted the chaos and gang violence that has plagued the country.
Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were released after being held in captive in Haiti’s capital, according to a statement Wednesday from El Roi Haiti, a humanitarian group. Dorsainvil was a community nurse for the group and married to its director.
Dorsainvil, 31, from New Hampshire, moved to Haiti three years ago to provide nursing care and educational services for children in one of the world’s poorest countries. For months, violent gangs have pillaged neighborhoods, broken into homes and raped and killed residents, kidnapped with impunity, and seized ever more territory as the United Nations has called for an intervening force to stabilize the Caribbean country.
Dorsainvil and her daughter were taken by unidentified gunmen on July 27 outside the makeshift clinic near Haiti’s capital Port au Prince where she works for El Roi.
“It is with a heart of gratitude and immense joy that we at El Roi Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend, Alix Dorsainvil and her child who were held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti. Today we are praising God for answered prayer,” El Roi said in a statement.
Dorsainvil married El Roi’s director, Sandro Dorsainvil, in 2021, with whom she shares her child.
The age of their daughter has not been made public.
No information about the kidnappers, including whether they were detained or received a ransom, was released.
“Out of respect for their privacy, we will allow individuals to speak for themselves if and when they feel ready. As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement. “We express our deepest appreciation to our Haitian, and U.S. interagency partners for their assistance in facilitating their safe release.”
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Dorsainvil and her child were abducted on the same day that the U.S. State Department ordered non-emergency embassy personnel and their families to evacuate Haiti due to a deteriorating security situation that has seen gangs take control of large parts of Port-au-Prince. It also advised all U.S. citizens in Haiti to leave “as soon as possible” because of elevated risks from kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.
Dorsainvil attended Dover Point Road Catholic school and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, in Dover, N.H.
While studying at Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, Dorsainvil first visited the country following the devastating 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti, killing thousands upon thousands of citizens. The aspiring nurse later returned to Haiti on self-funded trips during breaks and summers.
Her husband Sandro grew up in Haiti and at one point attended Lustre Christian High School in Montana. He then went on to attend Liberty University, a private Baptist college in Virginia.
Kidnapped in Haiti:St. Thomas graduate and nurse Alix Dorsainvil and daughter freed
“Haitians are such a resilient people. They’re full of joy and life and love,” Dorsainvil said in an El Roi promotional video published in 2021.
Contributing: Ian Lenahan, Portsmouth Herald
