(CNN) — A married couple from the US who were serving as missionaries in Haiti were killed there on Thursday, family members said.
Davy and Natalie Lloyd “were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed,” Natalie Lloyd’s father, Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker, said in a Facebook post. “They went to Heaven together.”
The Lloyds were married in 2022, according to Baker’s social media, and worked for Missions in Haiti, Inc., which has been operated by Davy Lloyd’s parents for more than two decades, according to the group’s website.
“This evening when Davy, Natalie and the kids were coming out of Youth at the church they were ambushed by a gang of 3 trucks full of guys,” the organization posted to their Facebook page Thursday. “Davy was taken to the house tied up and beat. The gang then took our trucks and loaded everything up they wanted and left.”
Three hours later, Missions in Haiti posted that Davy and Natalie “were shot and killed by the gang about 9 o’clock this evening. We all are devastated.”
“Please pray for my family we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family as well,” Baker said on social media early Friday. “I have no other words for now.”
Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson mourned the couple’s loss on X Friday morning, calling it “absolutely heartbreaking news.”
CNN has contacted Haitian officials and Missions in Haiti for more information, and has reached out to the White House and US State Department for comment.
The Facebook feed of Missions in Haiti has told the story of the increasing dire conditions in the country this year. “The gangs are still fighting for more control and chaos rules,” the organization posted April 23. “It seems the world has turned their backs on Haiti and it is going to be left in complete gang control.”
