Haiti-Investigation: Child disappearance near border reignites fears of organ trafficking in Haiti amid stalled investigation

OUANAMINTHE, Haiti — A month ago, six-year-old Francesca Pierre vanished without a trace from Haiti’s border town of Ouanaminthe. Her disappearance added to a growing list of missing children in the region, stoking fears of abductions tied to organ trafficking networks. Yet despite rising alarm, the Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), Haiti’s child protection agency, has eased off its investigation, giving conflicting accounts on and off the record about what may have happened.

A flyer shared across social media in Haitian Creole reads that six-year-old Francesca was reported missing early morning on June 18 after last being seen in her home in the Mankèt neighborhood of Ouanaminthe. 

It remains unclear whether the case has been solved, reported to the local Ouanaminthe police, but authorities of the IBESR said they are not aware of this new case.

Pierre’s case brings the total number of children and teenagers reported missing in Ouanaminthe to at least 11. Seven of these cases have been formally reported to IBESR. While some children have returned disoriented and traumatized, according to family members, others remain missing.

Just months after launching what officials called a promising investigation in February, IBESR abruptly paused its inquiry. An IBESR source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to fears of retribution, said the investigation was paused after the alleged criminal network under scrutiny became aware of it.

“This investigation is complex and constantly evolving. To stay ahead, we’ve had to adjust our approach—sometimes going undercover and working across both sides of the border,” the IBESR source said. 

“As new information becomes available, we adjust our strategy to remain effective,” the IBESR source said. 

But in prior comments to The Haitian Times, IBESR Northeast regional director Rémy Occean offered a starkly different explanation of the reported disappearances, suggesting some children had run away to escape parental discipline or join romantic partners.

“Most of these children disappear voluntarily to deceive their parents, to settle their affairs with their lovers,” Occean said. 

With IBESR conflicting explanations and its decision to suspend the investigation, it remains unclear whether the agency completed a preliminary probe, reached a firm conclusion, abandoned the case entirely, or was forced to start an investigation as new disappearances surfaced and families ask for answers.

Nevertheless, the pattern of cases reported by parents has only heightened fears and fueled persistent rumors of organ trafficking along the Haiti-Dominican border.

“The mothers of Ouanaminthe live in constant fear of losing their children—it’s like an earthquake that devastates our hearts,” Roselène Pierre, head of the Zanmi Timoun Creole for Children’s Friend, said.

Survivor stories deepen the fear

On April 18, 18 year old Isaac Fils-Aimé was found unconscious near the Haitian-Dominican border after being reported missing for several days. Friends of his family recognized him and brought him home.

“I didn’t know how I got to the border,” said Fils-Aimé. 

“I was unconscious at the border post and returned home thanks to another child who knew I was the son of the pastor of a church in Ouanaminthe.”

Isaac’s story is just one among many whispered by the town’s residents. 

The experience of 14-year-old Francely Val was even more harrowing. He disappeared three months ago after leaving school and stopping by his father’s house in the Ti Lory neighborhood of central Ouanaminthe to drop off a key. For months, his family searched everywhere—police stations, IBESR offices, radio stations.

One hundred five days after he disappeared, Val was found alive, with his thumbnails missing and scars across his back.

“He told me he had been tied up in a house in the Dominican Republic the entire time,” said his mother, Isemene Jean, recalling her son’s first words through tears. 

“He said there were others with him at first, but little by little they disappeared. One day, a man came and untied him. He told Val to run and go find his parents. My boy had to beg strangers for directions back to Haiti.”

 “We are waiting for a response, a gesture, a sign from the authorities. Just to know if the children of Ouanaminthe still matter in the eyes of the authorities,” Jean said, her voice cracking as she told her son’s story.

A growing crisis on the border with the Dominican Republic

Every day, children—many poorly dressed—cross into the Dominican Republic town of Dajabón, traveling miles from Ouanaminthe, seeking food, money, or work. Some beg on the streets, others take odd jobs to help make ends meet at home. Many return at night; some do not, residents told The Haitian Times.

Witnesses on both sides of the border said that children disappear without explanation.

“People cross the Massacre River all day long, children in hand, to get to the Dominican Republic. If you talk to the guard and pay him a good price, he’ll let you pass without a problem,” Geutane Pierre, a woman who earns a living washing clothes by the Massacre River, told The Haitian Times in June.

At IBESR, the anonymous source said their office had received troubling reports from Dominican children’s rights organizations in Dajabòn and Santiago alleging Haitian children had been treated in local hospitals with injuries consistent with organ removal. Several reports also mentioned missing organs such as kidneys and hearts, along with discoveries of human bones believed to belong to children.

“We haven’t received formal documentation, but based on our working relationships with some Dominican organizations, we cannot ignore these reports,” the source said.

Several children who returned from their Dajabón journey reported that unidentified people forcibly took their friends during border crossings, the IBESR source said.

On July 2, Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), told the UN Security Council briefing about Haiti that alarming reports increasingly point to human trafficking for organ removal targeting women and children in Haiti. She cited a police raid in May on a medical facility in Pétion-Ville suspected of involvement in illicit organ trade and highlighted reports of organ removal surfacing in a northern hospital. Waly called for “urgent, impartial, and transparent investigations” and accountability for any complicit medical institutions.

On social media, unverified posts have alleged ties between prominent business figures and politicians in the Eel trade and the suspected trafficking networks. 

“As a mother and as someone leading an organization devoted to children’s welfare, I feel compelled to sound the alarm,” Pierre said.  

“Persistent rumors of organ trafficking, involving unexpected people, add a layer of horror to our pain.”

Orphanages under scrutiny

Another area of concern lies within the local orphanages. IBESR Director Occean acknowledged a surge in orphanages, many operating without legal approval. South American groups reportedly fund some, raising fears they may serve as trafficking fronts.

Witnesses told The Haitian Times about suspicious movements near these facilities.

“Children disappear without a trace,” said Pierre Dagobert, a self-identified smuggler who regularly crosses the border. “They go through the woods, and that’s the last anyone sees of them. Sometimes parents are paid to hand over children under the guise of adoption.”

But child protection workers at IBESR say these cases are hard to track because they often involve informal contact. 

Ouanaminthe authorities under pressure

Ouanaminthe law enforcement and child welfare officials have offered conflicting responses about the scope and nature of the crisis.

Jean-Claude Innocent, head of the departmental section of the Judicial Police in the Northeast, said he has seen no confirmed cases of organ trafficking.

“I have not yet encountered this case here in the Northeast,” Innocent said in June when questioned about the family’s report of missing children and the reports of children missing organs at Dajabón hospital.

The director of Ouanaminthe Hospital, Dr. Joseph John Cador said the logistics of organ harvesting make it highly unlikely to happen in Haiti.

“Organ harvesting requires complex preparation, including sophisticated surgical facilities,” Cador said. Still, he acknowledged it could be happening across the border. “We are on such an uncertain border that it is possible.”

Fort-Liberté Government Commissioner Eno Zéphirin also denied any formal complaints. 

“The facts and evidence have not yet reached my office,” he said.

However, the child protection workers who shared that they received tips from partner organizations in the Dominican Republic stated that at the time, they alerted the Haitian government, but it ignored their report. 

Despite the investigation’s suspension, Occean said IBESR remains committed.

“We will continue to work closely with orphanages, hospitals, and authorities, as the safety of children is essential,” he said.

Ouanaminthe Police Commissioner Ronald Eugène said that border surveillance operations would be intensified to prevent child trafficking. 

For now, families like that of Val remain in anguish, waiting for answers from authorities that may never come.

“We pray that each passing day will not be further proof of passivity. We are waiting for a response, a gesture, a sign from the authorities. Just to know if the children of Ouanaminthe still matter in the eyes of the authorities,” Jean said.

The post Haiti-Investigation: Child disappearance near border reignites fears of organ trafficking in Haiti amid stalled investigation appeared first on The Haitian Times.