Black Couple Visiting Family In Haiti Held For $200,000 Ransom Per Person

A trip to visit family in Haiti has become a nightmare for a couple from Florida. NBC News reports Abigail and Jean-Dickens Toussaint were on their way to Léogâne, approximately 27 miles west of Port-au-Prince, but never made it. After not hearing from them since March 18, their family claims they have been kidnapped and held for ransom for $6,000. Allegedly, a group ordered the Toussaints off a bus and has kept them captive since. The kidnappers changed the deal after, according to the couple’s niece, Christie Desormes, the family paid over $2,000. According to CNN, the price increased to $200,000—per person. Desormes says she’s begging people to ask their state representatives for help. “It’s a lot of emotions. It’s devastating,” Desormes said. “You feel angry it happened, and then you feel numb at the same time because it doesn’t feel real.” A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department says they have been made aware of the kidnapping and are doing what they can. “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...