Goal:
USD $10,000
Raised:
USD $300
Campaign funds will be received by Timothy Carter
Pictured in the header left to right: Ana's sister, Ana's daughter, Ana, Ana's niece. This picture was taken one week after the rescue.
On Thursday, November 30, 2023 in the town of Montellano on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, Ana walked to her 13 year old daughter's school as she did everyday before 4pm to meet her and walk her home. That day Ana's daughter was not in front of the school chatting with friends waiting for her mom. The girl had been abducted minutes before Ana arrived. Thus began a mother's frantic search and the eventual rescue.
But the rescue came at a cost. In the Dominican Republic one must pay the police to launch an investigation and, in this case, a rescue. The girl had been abducted by individuals connected to Colombian cartels. Four days after the abduction, six policeman from Montellano joined three more policeman from Santo Domingo forming a nine man swat team who traveled over 11 hours from Montellano to the town of Pedernalis on the south coast right on the Haitian border. There they found the kidnappers and the girl before they were to board a ship bound for Colombia. Most likely there she would have been sold on the black market. The police said for sex trafficking or organ harvesting. By the grace of God or as Ana would say, "Gracias a Dios," the girl was unharmed.
But, Ana and her family had to borrow $5,000 to pay the police for the investigation to first locate the girl and then launch the rescue. Now, going forward, there are legal expenses. One week after the rescue there was a preliminary hearing in Santo Domingo where all the prisoners were now being held. Different from what we see on TV, this preliminary hearing did not have a prosecutor. Three judges asked questions. The defendants had lawyers and Ana was there with a lawyer representing her. Why does Ana need a lawyer? In the DR it's common for guilty parties to “buy” their way out of prison. Paying off prosecutors and judges and victims happens here. If the victim doesn't have a lawyer sometimes back room deals are struck and the victim is shut out of any restitution.
At that hearing Ana spoke telling her story. The defendants were asked to explain their story. Ana was given a chance to respond but also her lawyer cross examined the defendants. There has now been a second hearing at which Ana's daughter told the story of her 4 day ordeal and, once again, Ana's lawyer was present to protect the interests of the victims in this case. The legal and travel expenses...after the rescue...have already come to over $1,000 and that's only the beginning. The trial date has not yet been set.
The problem is the family had to borrow that $5,000 for the rescue and now must pay it back and they have no resources to do that. Ana is a single mom who was targeted because she is poor. The kidnappers never dreamed that Ana, along with her sister, would have the where with all to mobilize the police and launch a rescue.
If Ana is not able to pay back these loans the defendants will have the leverage to "buy off" Ana because they'll know she has debts she must pay. Ana prefers the kidnappers serve a long prison sentence. She fears retribution from these cartel connected criminals if they are released.
The complete story of the kidnapping and rescue is written into a short story and can be found on Amazon Kindle. You can search "Kidnapped in the Dominican Republic." All proceeds from the sale of the short story go to the family.
Thank you for any help you can give to a very courageous single mom and her family.
I want to continue to support this family as they struggle through this cartel kidnapping of an innocent child. I called upon all of you to help. They are good Christian friends of mine, the story is amazing truly a blessing. This child was saved because the mother is a hero! God bless this family.
I know Tim when I lived in the Dominican Republic, and I know how much he cares for the Dominican and Haitian people who live there. Tim is a good Christian husband, and a patriotic American! It’s my honor to the family. God bless this wonderful mother, and God bless America!
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