The U.S. Justice Department has laid charges against Vitel’homme Innocent, a powerful leader of the notorious Kraze Barye gang in Haiti.
Innocent — who remains at large is accused of orchestrating the kidnapping of an American couple in Haiti in October 2022, an ordeal that resulted in the death of Marie Odette Franklin.
Authorities are offering a reward of $1 million for information leading to the arrest of Innocent.
Deepening crisis in Haiti
Haiti, a country shadowed by the foreboding clouds of turmoil, has witnessed a worrying surge in gang-related crimes since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
These ruthless gangs perpetrate a spectrum of atrocities, from murder and rape to relentless kidnappings that terrorize the nation’s residents.
Rise in kidnappings: A nation gripped by fear
The intensity and frequency of kidnappings have soared disturbingly, adding to the country’s tumultuous climate.
A local non-profit organization’s documentation reveals a shocking surge, recording over 500 kidnappings since the commencement of this year.
A timeline of terror: Notable incidents of abductions
Several heart-wrenching incidents have punctuated the grim landscape of crime in Haiti. In a particularly disturbing instance, a U.S. nurse and her daughter were released following a harrowing abduction, having been violently snatched from a Christian school’s premises near Port-au-Prince.
Additionally, earlier in the year, a couple from Broward was kidnapped in Haiti and later freed.
Reports are that Jean-Dickens Toussaint and his wife Abigail Michael Toussaint and a third person traveling with them had been kidnapped on March 18 in the capital of Port-au-Prince before their release in April.
