Republican state Rep. Ben Baker mourned the loss of his daughter, Natalie Lloyd, and her husband, Davy Lloyd, who were among three missionaries killed in a gang attack in Haiti.
American missionaries Davy and Natalie Lloyd, who were killed in a gang attack in Haiti, were remembered by their grieving father, Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker, as "the perfect example of selflessness."
"They loved Haiti and loved its people dearly and ultimately gave everything for them," Baker said in a statement.
Davy, 23, and Natalie, 21, were serving as full-time missionaries with Missions In Haiti, a group their parents founded in 2000. The couple, who married in 2022, were "reaching countless lives in so many ways," according to Baker.
Also killed in the attack was Jude Montis, the local director of Missions In Haiti. Montis had worked for the organization for 20 years and left behind two young children.
According to Missions In Haiti, the missionaries were leaving a youth group gathering at church when they were ambushed by gang members in three trucks. Davy Lloyd called his family to tell them that he had been hit on the head with a gun and tied up.
"Another gang" arrived on the scene and went into "full attack mode," the organization said.
Davy, Natalie, and Montis were hiding in a house, communicating with Missions In Haiti via satellite internet. As they hid, the gangs began shooting at the house.
Missions In Haiti lost contact with the missionaries but later posted that they had been killed.
"They were the perfect example of selflessness," Baker said. "They lived a life of service and love, always putting others before themselves."
U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., is heading up efforts to secure an airline willing to transport the bodies of Davy and Natalie Lloyd back to the U.S. The family has obtained a waiver to transport the bodies without being fully embalmed.
A GoFundMe set up by family friends has raised over $35,000 to assist the family with costs related to bringing Davy and Natalie's bodies home.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
