Officials are now confirming a missing American woman and her daughter have been freed by their captors in Haiti. There are still a lot of unanswered questions in this case like who exactly is responsible for the kidnapping but what we do know is that the mother and daughter are both apparently safe.
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00:00 And now to an update on the missing American woman and her daughter in Haiti.
00:05 Officials now confirming they've been freed by their captors.
00:08 There's still a lot of unanswered questions in this case though, like who exactly is responsible
00:13 for the kidnapping?
00:14 But we do know that the mother and daughter are both apparently safe.
00:18 ABC's Rena Roy has the latest.
00:21 After nearly two weeks, this American woman and her daughter are reportedly safe, released
00:26 by a gang who had taken them.
00:27 Non-profit organization El Roy Haiti saying in a statement, "It is with a heart of gratitude
00:32 and immense joy that we at El Roy Haiti confirm the safe release of our staff member and friend,
00:38 Alex Dorsonville, and her child who were held hostage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti."
00:43 The circumstances of their release are unclear, but a Haitian law enforcement source tells
00:47 ABC News negotiations to free them started shortly after the alleged kidnapping.
00:53 The U.S. State Department addressing the situation.
00:55 We welcome their release.
00:57 We have no greater priority, of course, than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.
01:02 Officials from El Roy saying the New Hampshire mother and her child were taken back on July
01:06 27th, while Dorsonville was serving in a community ministry near the capital of Port-au-Prince.
01:12 Thousands of Haitians taking to the streets this week demanding more security.
01:17 UNICEF confirming nearly 300 kidnapping cases in Haiti this year.
01:22 Most of the victims, women and children, taken by armed groups and held for ransom or as
01:27 bargaining chips.
01:28 The least protected people there are usually these humanitarian NGOs.
01:34 And when it comes to these kidnapping for ransom, that's one of the key people that
01:39 they look for.
01:41 Gangs have been an issue in Haiti for a long time, but after the assassination of the president
01:45 in 2021, their power and violence associated with them has exploded.
01:51 According to the UN, almost 1,500 people were killed across the country in just the first
01:55 four months of this year.
01:57 Reena Roy, ABC News, New York.