Parents of US missionaries killed in Haiti speak out for first time: 'Darkest places need the light'

The parents of American missionaries who were murdered in Haiti broke their silence during an exclusive "Fox & Friends First" interview, remembering the pair for their devotion to God and unparalleled love for one another. 

Missouri State Rep. Ben Baker and his wife Naomi lost their daughter Natalie and son-in-law Davy to the unrest in war-torn Haiti. They discussed their tragic loss alongside David Lloyd, Davy's father, as violence continues to engulf the Caribbean island nation. 

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"It's almost complete anarchy with the gangs that are in control, and the… very little government that is set up, and so it just makes everything difficult for the people there," Ben told Carly Shimkus on Tuesday. "It is a dark place, but… I believe that the darkest places need the light, and that's why David and Natalie were there."

Davy and Natalie Lloyd and Jude Montis, the local director of Missions in Haiti Inc., were fatally shot in the community of Lizon in northern Port-au-Prince after leaving a youth group activity at church last month. 

They were killed as the troubled Caribbean country crumbles under the relentless assault of violent gangs that control 80% of the capital city while authorities await the arrival of a police force from Kenya as part of a U.N.-backed deployment aimed at quelling gang violence.

"It's as Ben said, complete anarchy," David said. "We have no current elected officials. All of them has been placed by some ruling group that's trying to help Haiti, so the gangs have just stepped in where there's no rule of law and just have completely taken over, of course, with killing the president themselves."

"What we've experienced is great tragedy," he continued. "The Haitian people have been experiencing this for themselves for the last four or five years. Almost everybody I know has been affected by... one of the gangs and their family members, maybe distant or close, has been killed."

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Family members said Davy and Natalie joined Missions in Haiti as full-time missionaries after they were married in 2022. The group's website says its goal is "to see the Gospel of Christ make a difference in the lives of Haiti’s young people."

Davy grew up in Port-au-Prince and his parents founded the organization in 2000, directing its missionary towards children. The pair's parents made it clear they were incredibly proud of their life of service and devotion to God after making the ultimate sacrifice to spread their faith. 

"She was just a very devoted wife, and though she had no children of her own, little Kelly over there was kind of a spiritual child of hers, and she was just sweet and loved those children, loved Haiti, loved Davy," Naomi said. "Just an incredible human."

"It's about love, and it's about commitment, their love for God and their love for each other and their commitment to the calling and the commitment to the people of Haiti that they eventually gave their lives for," Ben said. 

Natalie and Davy were laid to rest during a memorial service last week, where Ben spoke about the moment Davy asked him for his permission to marry his daughter. Shimkus asked him to expand on that moment. 

"As a dad of four daughters, you know, it's – next to salvation, I believe the most important decision that you will ever make, and that is choosing a spouse for life," he responded. "So it's always a big deal. I want to make sure it's the right one, and, of course, Davy was, and it was amazing how that they fit together."

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo and The Associated press contributed to this report.

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