Daughter, son-in-law of Missouri lawmaker ‘gave everything’ for people of Haiti
By St. Louis Post-Dispatch via My Courier-Tribune
JEFFERSON CITY — Family members of David and Natalie Lloyd remembered the married couple for their love and devotion to the Haitian people after they died Thursday in the chaos-stricken Caribbean country.
The couple were married in 2022 and had served as full-time missionaries in Haiti since that fall, working for the Oklahoma-based nonprofit Missions in Haiti Inc. that David “Davy” Lloyd III’s parents founded in 2000.
Davy, 23, Natalie and the nonprofit’s Haitian director Jude Montis were killed by a gang Thursday evening, the nonprofit said early Friday morning. An investigation that will involve international law enforcement was underway, Haitian police spokesperson Gary Desrosiers told CNN on Friday.
“This is an open investigation but we are sure we will arrest those involved. For now, we’re working on protecting the public and the community while actively searching for the perpetrators,” he said.
Natalie Lloyd, 21, was the daughter of Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker of Neosho. Baker, in a statement late Friday, thanked people who had reached out after news of his daughter and son-in-law’s deaths.
“They loved Haiti and loved its people dearly and ultimately gave everything for them,” Baker said. “Davy and Natalie reached countless lives in so many ways and we want them to be remembered for who they were, selfless and full of love and devotion to the people of Haiti.”
Baker said the family can’t possibly respond to everyone who has reached out to them, “yet we know you’re there. We can feel your prayers. Keep them coming.”
A statement posted to Baker’s Facebook page on Friday evening said the family was working to retrieve Davy and Natalie’s bodies.
The White House, in a statement Friday to CNN, said officials were aware of the reported deaths of U.S. citizens and that “our hearts go out to the families of those killed as they experience unimaginable grief.”
The U.S. State Department said Friday the U.S. ambassador in Haiti was in contact with the families and that the U.S. embassy was “ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance.”
The State Department said “too many innocent lives are being lost” in Haiti and said the United States supports the “expedited deployment” of a multinational Kenyan-led security force “to bolster the Haitian National Police’s capabilities to protect civilians, restore the rule of law, and pave the way to democratic governance.”
Meanwhile, the Baker family on Friday night directed people to report “accounts advertising funeral arrangements” and asked people not to share posts claiming to be videos of Davy and Natalie’s bodies.
A spokesperson for the family said Saturday morning that there were only two legitimate GoFundMe online fundraisers: one that says “created by Jeremie Bridges,” and another that says “created by Chris Slinkard CPA and (state Rep.) Dirk Deaton.”
