christian aid haiti
Missionaries from Christian Aid Ministries, in the days following their escape from captivity. (Courtesy of Christian Aid Ministries)

The 17 Christian missionaries kidnapped two months ago in Haiti stood together in Florida, smiling, three days after the most of the group escaped captivity. It was one of multiple photos shown during a Christian Aid Ministries press conference, of the captives in the days following their return to the United States.

Under cover of night, 12 missionaries who were held hostage in Haiti pried open a locked door, left the room in which they were held and silently followed a planned escape route away from their captors. That is how the remaining missionaries kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang in October freed themselves while authorities were negotiating their release, said Weston Showalter, a spokesperson for Christian Aid Ministries, during a Dec. 20 press conference

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Sam is a reporter for The Haitian Times and a 2020 Report for America corps member. He has covered Haiti and its diaspora since 2018. His work has also appeared in USA Today, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Haiti Liberte. Sam can be reached at sam@haitiantimes.com or on Twitter @sambojarski.