Found Safe FL - Abigail & Jean-Dickens Toussaint, both 33, kidnapped in Haiti, 18 March 2023

[imstilla.grandma]

A Florida couple has been kidnapped in Haiti and remains captive under ransom demands, family members say, who are asking for help and pressuring US officials to find them.

Abigail and Jean-Dickens Toussaint, both 33, were kidnapped on March 18 around Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, according to a statement from their families provided to CNN.

“Please share this and get the word out as much as you can,” the statement says, hoping the two return safe “to their child and family.”

A US State Department spokesperson told CNN they are “aware of reports of two U.S. citizens missing 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,” the spokesperson said. “We have nothing further to share at this time.”

Florida couple has been kidnapped in Haiti and remain held at ransom, family says | CNN

A Florida couple has been kidnapped in Haiti and remains captive under ransom demands, family members say, who are asking for help and pressuring US officials to find them.

www.cnn.com

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/17/americas/mexico-kidnapping-fbi-maria-del-carmen-lopez/index.html

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

An American couple visiting Haiti is being held at ransom after being kidnapped from a bus nearly a week ago, according to their family, ABC News reported.

Jean-Dickens Toussaint and his wife, Abigail Toussaint, of Tamarac, Florida, were in Haiti to see ailing relatives and attend a community festival when they were kidnapped Saturday while traveling on a bus from Port-au-Prince, their family said.

A family friend who met the couple at the airport to escort them was also kidnapped, their niece, Christie, who declined to give her last name, told ABC Miami affiliate WPLG.

"They stopped the bus at a stop and they asked for the Americans on the bus and their escorts to come off the bus and then they took them," Christie told the station.

In response to an inquiry about the incident, the U.S. Department of State did not confirm a kidnapping but said it is "aware of reports of two U.S. citizens missing in Haiti."

'We told them not to go': American couple being held at ransom in Haiti, family says

Jean-Dickens Toussaint and his wife, Abigail Toussaint, of Tamarac, Florida, were in Haiti to see ailing relatives and attend a community festival when they were kidnapped while traveling on a bus from Port-au-Prince, their family said.

abc13.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

It’s reported that Abigail Toussaint and Jean-Dickens Toussaint, both 33, from the state of Florida, were taken near the capital Port-au-Prince and have been held for days.

The couple was reportedly kidnapped during a bus ride.

”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.”

In the aftermath of the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, gangs have grown in strength, with large portions of the capital and other areas considered lawless territory.

US citizens kidnapped in Haiti

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC): The State Department in the United States of America (USA) says it has been notified of the kidnapping of two USA citizens who were on a trip to visit family in Haiti. It’s reported that Abigail Toussaint and Jean-...

jamaica-gleaner.com

 

[swanniee11]

Family desperate for help after Tamarac couple kidnapped in Haiti

A South Florida family is begging for help after two natives were kidnapped during a trip to Haiti.

www.local10.com

Snipped:
The kidnappers demanded $6,000 for their release. The family paid, but then the dollar amount went up significantly, and the fear is that enough will never be enough.

“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,” Christie said.

 

[Stunned]

Haiti is a pretty lawless country. I’m very worried for them.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Watch NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt Excerpt: American couple kidnapped in Haiti - NBC.com

Watch NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt excerpt 'American couple kidnapped in Haiti' on NBC.com

www.nbc.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The First Haitian Baptist Church of Pompano Beach posted about the Toussaints on Wednesday, asking for its congregation to pray for the couple.

"Along with our prayers, we are also challenging our government officials to use their resources in bringing these two back to us where they belong," the church said.

The church also held an intercession on Friday night, where people were invited to pray for the Toussaints.

Florida couple missing in Haiti are being held for ransom, family says

Their niece, Christie Desormes, told NBC Miami that her aunt and uncle were ordered off of a bus on their way to visit family and have been held captive since.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[GraceG]

The State Department has had a travel warning out for that area for the last several months due to the kidnapping risk. I feel for the family in this case, they've paid, and no resolution. Haiti Travel Advisory

 

[Stunned]

The State Department has had a travel warning out for that area for the last several months due to the kidnapping risk. I feel for the family in this case, they've paid, and no resolution. Haiti Travel Advisory

I thought there had been a travel advisory for Haiti in general a lot longer than that!

 

[Knox]

Is it just me or have we seen this happening a lot lately in different countries (Mexico)?

 

[Stunned]

I think Haitians are much more desperate than Mexicans. Could be very wrong. IMO

 

[PNW]

I volunteered in Haiti after the earthquake. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people. I hope the kidnap victims will be recovered unharmed.

 

[GraceG]

I thought there had been a travel advisory for Haiti in general a lot longer than that!

There was but this one was more urgent telling Americans to leave immediately due to the high kidnapping risk.

 

[vls12345]

Family of Couple Kidnapped in Haiti: Gang Demands Are $200,000 for Each Person

Abigail Toussaint, 33, and her husband Jean-Dickens, 33, were kidnapped along with a third person in the Port-Au-Prince area on March 18.

www.nbcconnecticut.com

 

[Unalienable Rights]

https://atlantablackstar.com/2023/0...ple-targeted-by-scammers-with-fake--campaign/

Weeks after a Haitian American couple was kidnapped during a trip to the island, fake crowdfunding campaigns have emerged.

The profiles popped up after news about the family needing to raise $400,000 made the news.

*************
Originally, the family thought of doing a campaign with Change.org, however, some of the family’s elders were against raising money that way because it would be too public.

Christie tweeted, “We had to close the petition out of respect of my aunt’s dad’s wishes.”

“He doesn’t want the kidnappers to think that the money used to promote the petition is coming to our family (which its not obvi) but you know not to make it worse. Thank you for sharing it tho!” she continued.

Once they understood that Change.org was a petition and not a crowd fundraising platform, the family agreed to reopen the case.

Continues at link
*********************************************************

American couple being held at ransom in Haiti, family says: 'We told them not to go'

An American couple visiting Haiti is being held at ransom after being kidnapped on a bus more than a week ago, according to their family.

abcnews.go.com

**************
The family members said they were worried about the couple making the trip, given the political unrest and gang violence in Haiti.

The State Department advises Americans not to travel to Haiti "due to kidnapping, crime, and civil unrest."

"We were very worried when they said they were going. We told them not to go but they wanted to go," Nikese Toussaint said.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Florida couple kidnapped and held for ransom in Haiti have been released, family says

Jean-Dickens and Abigail Toussaint were traveling to Leogan, about 27 miles west of Port-au-Prince, when they were kidnapped last month, relatives said.

www.nbcnews.com

A Florida couple whose family said they were kidnapped and held for ransom in Haiti has been released, relatives said.

Jean-Dickens Toussaint and his wife, Abigail Michael Toussaint, were released Thursday, nearly a month after they were kidnapped, family members told NBC Miami. The Toussaints hope to arrive back in Tamarac, a city in Broward County, by Saturday, according to the news station.

*************
Further details about the release were not available. Desormes and other family members could not immediately be reached on Friday.

The State Department said last month that it was aware of reports that the couple was missing, but did not provide any details. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Florida couple kidnapped in Haiti released after a month

The couple are staying with relatives in Haiti before returning home.

www.newsnationnow.com

NewsNation) — A Florida couple held for ransom in Haiti have been released, though they have not yet returned to the U.S.

************
No details have been released about how the Toussaints were freed, and it’s not clear if the family paid the ransom. The couple are staying with relatives in Haiti to get cleaned up before returning to the U.S. to reunite with their 2-year-old son.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

This is the best news!!! I really thought it would end differently! So, so happy for that family!

 

[vls12345]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1646674161324941314

 

[PayrollNerd]

Pleased to hear it all turned out well. I wonder what the motive was. It's not like the family is made of money and a ransom would be something to count on. Very interesting. Hope they return home safely and their Haiti family remains safe too.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Floridians kidnapped in Haiti: Captors had ‘military’ weapons

TAMARAC, Fla. (NewsNation) — A Florida couple who were being held hostage in Haiti is now back home and speaking publicly for the first time about their release and what conditions were like.

Jean-Dickens (JD) Toussaint, an accountant, and Abigail Michael Toussaint, a social worker, had traveled to Haiti to visit family members. On March 18, they were kidnapped by a gang while traveling to the town of Leogane on a public bus.

In an exclusive interview with NewsNation, the couple said a third family member from Haiti was also held captive. They said the three of them were shacked up in a room for weeks with only one meal a day and barely any water.

Abigail and JD are now breathing a sigh of relief.

“It’s been hard,” Abigail said.

The Florida couple had traveled to Haiti to help family and visit their sick uncle.

That trip turned into a life-or-death situation.

“They were armed, heavily armed, with military-grade weapons,” JD said of his captors.

The Toussaints were taken by a Haitian gang and held hostage for weeks, and according to Abigail, the days were long.

Family members paid someone they trusted $6,000 to ransom the missing relatives, but the money disappeared, and the couple continued to be held.

The kidnappers then raised the ransom to $200,000.

But the Toussaints said they never gave up hope that they would make it out alive.

“We knew we weren’t going to die there,” Abigail said.

“We never put (death) in our mind. No,” JD added.

The hardest part for JD was not seeing or hearing from their son, Jayce, who just turned two.

Right now, Haiti has a level four travel advisory because of high levels of kidnapping, crime and civil unrest.

In recent months, the Justice Department has unsealed criminal charges against Haitian gangs, including gang leaders involved in the armed kidnappings of 16 American citizens in the fall of 2021.

Ongoing violence in Haiti has included at least 101 kidnappings in the first two weeks of March, mostly targeting Haitian citizens.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in part, “They are committed to disrupting these kidnapping-for-ransom schemes.”

With the help of the FBI and State Department, Abigail and JD were released and have since been reunited with their son.

“He embraced me, and I just felt all the love,” Abigail said of the reunion. “Words couldn’t explain how happy I was when he said mommy.”

The Toussaints are trying to get back to normal life, but in the meantime, they said they are still working with the FBI and State Department on their investigation.


NewsNation writer Devan Markham contributed to this report