The New Hampshire native who was kidnapped in Haiti while working as a nurse on the island has been safely released along with her daughter, the organization she works for announced Wednesday.
"Today we are praising God for answered prayer," a statement from El Roi said. "We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis."
El Roi runs a school and ministry in the Caribbean country's capital city, and the organization had said last month that the mother and daughter were taken from campus. Dorsainvil is the wife of the program's director, Sandro Dorsainvil.
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The organization asked that neither Alix Dorsainvil nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation," the statement said.
The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.” No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.
The organization told The Associated Press in a brief response that it would comment on the situation in upcoming days and asked for patience “as the community processes and heals.”
The clinic where Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped from was closed on Wednesday, and people in the neighborhood said they hadn't heard the news that they had been released. They declined to talk, saying they wanted to see her first.
The U.S. State Department issued a “do not travel advisory” in the country and ordered nonemergency personnel to leave there amid growing security concerns.
In its advisory late last month, the department said that “kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens.”
It said kidnappings often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed.
The State Department said Wednesday that it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release.
“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the agency said. “As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”
Officials provided no other details.
Dorsainvil graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, where a program supports nursing education in Haiti.
The college's president, Antoinette Hays, said the community was relieved to hear of the safe release of Dorsainvil and her daughter. "We send our prayers and continued support to her family and friends as they begin the healing process from this experience.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
