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Florida Couple Visiting Haiti Kidnapped Off Bus, Family Says

Relatives say a ransom demand of $6,000 has been increased to $200,000.

A Florida couple have been kidnapped on a trip to Haiti and are being held for ransom, their relatives and their church said. Jean Dickens Toussaint and his wife Abigail Toussaint, of Tamarac, were allegedly abducted on a bus ride from Port-au-Prince while in the country to see family and attend a festival. A family member told Local 10 that the kidnappers initially demanded $6,000 to release the couple, who have a 1-year-old son. “Once we sent that money, they tried to up the price to $200,000 per person and we don’t have that type of money,” she said.

The State Department told The Daily Beast it is aware of the reports of two U.S. citizens missing in Haiti but declined to share details. “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,” a spokesperson said.