Missionaries made daring escape in Haiti, church group says
Captive missionaries in Haiti found freedom last week by making a daring overnight escape, eluding their kidnappers and walking for miles over difficult, moonlit terrain with an infant and other children in tow, according to the agency they work for, officials said Monday.
The group of 12 navigated by stars to reach safety after a two-month kidnapping ordeal, officials with the Christian Aid Ministries, the Ohio-based agency that the captive missionaries work for, said Monday at a press conference.
The detailed accounting of their journey to safety comes after news Thursday that the missionaries were free.
A total of 17 people from the missionary group — 12 adults and five minors — were abducted Oct. 16 shortly after visiting an orphanage in Ganthier, in the Croix-des-Bouquets area, where they verified it had received aid from CAM and played with the children, CAM has said. The group included 16 Americans and one Canadian.
AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph
A caravan drives to the airport after departing from the Christian Aid Ministries headquarters north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Dec. 16, 2021.
The captors from the 400 Mawozo gang initially demanded millions of dollars in ransom. Five other captives had earlier reached freedom. It is still unclear if any ransom was paid.
The 12 who fled last week carried the infant and 3-year-old, wrapping the baby to protect her from the briars and brambles, said CAM spokesman Weston Showalter.
“After a number of hours of walking, day began to dawn and they eventually found someone who helped to make a phone call for help,” he said, his voice beginning to choke. “They were finally free.”
The 12 were flown to Florida on a U.S. Coast Guard flight and later reunited with five hostages who were released earlier.
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Youths stand at a market in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixYouths stand at a market in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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Women walk next to a mural with the portrait of the assassinated president of Haiti Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo AbdWomen walk next to a mural with the portrait of the assassinated president of Haiti Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Vendor Celestine poses for a photo while taking a break in her butcher stand in a popular market in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo AbdVendor Celestine poses for a photo while taking a break in her butcher stand in a popular market in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Students walk hand-in-hand crossing a barricade as they head home in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. Residents set up a barricade in protest after accusing police of killing a man during a Tuesday night raid. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo AbdStudents walk hand-in-hand crossing a barricade as they head home in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. Residents set up a barricade in protest after accusing police of killing a man during a Tuesday night raid. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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A man climbs a truck while loading charcoal into the bed of a truck in a popular market in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo AbdA man climbs a truck while loading charcoal into the bed of a truck in a popular market in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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A man raises his arms to show his innocence as policemen patrol the streets in downtown in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, where residents have set up a barricade in protest after accusing police of killing a man during a Tuesday night raid. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo AbdA man raises his arms to show his innocence as policemen patrol the streets in downtown in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, where residents have set up a barricade in protest after accusing police of killing a man during a Tuesday night raid. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Policemen patrol the streets in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Homes at the Bois Patate neighborhood are crowded together in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixHomes at the Bois Patate neighborhood are crowded together in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
A dog crosses a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixA dog crosses a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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A melee breaks out between people trying to fill their containers at a gas station in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo AbdA melee breaks out between people trying to fill their containers at a gas station in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
A man rides a bus close to the airport of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, July 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixA man rides a bus close to the airport of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, July 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
A boy, right, carries a deflated football and a toy gun in the La Saline neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
A family washes clothes outside their home in the La Saline neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixA family washes clothes outside their home in the La Saline neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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A woman rides pillion in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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A man carries goods at a street market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, June 5, 2021. Haiti defied predictions and perplexed health officials by avoiding a COVID-19 crisis for more than a year, but the country of more than 11 million people that has not received a single vaccine is now battling a spike in cases and deaths. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
Joseph OdelynA man carries goods at a street market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, June 5, 2021. Haiti defied predictions and perplexed health officials by avoiding a COVID-19 crisis for more than a year, but the country of more than 11 million people that has not received a single vaccine is now battling a spike in cases and deaths. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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A street vendor sells plastic bags while wearing a mask against the spread of the new coronavirus in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, June 24, 2021. ( AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
Neighbors stand on a roof in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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A motorcycle taxi is decorated with a sticker of Cuba's revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, early Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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A farmer pets his work cow in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, early Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixA farmer pets his work cow in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, early Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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A girl works selling candy the market in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixA girl works selling candy the market in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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A farm worker plows land to plant onions in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightJoseph Odelyn
A man drives a motorcycle through the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
A fisherman sails out to sea from Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Saturday, July 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
Local women chat outside their home in the La Saline neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightRodrigo Abd
Monon, 54, walks in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, while returning to his house after attending the funeral of his son at the general cemetery, late afternoon, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightRodrigo Abd
A man pushes a wheelbarrow carrying the carcass of a pig through a street market in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightRodrigo Abd
Vendors wait for customers at a street market in downtown in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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A man walks next to a butcher´s stand at a popular market in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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People gather around burning garbage in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, late afternoon,Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo AbdPeople gather around burning garbage in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, late afternoon,Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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CDC chief overrules advisers on boosters; Haitian migrant camp shrinks; Bad Bunny’s big nightMatias Delacroix
A pedestrian talks with a motorbike rider in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Matias DelacroixA pedestrian talks with a motorbike rider in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
