Four Haitian Women Deported from Puerto Rico Found Murdered Near Haiti–Dominican Republic Border

Authorities say the women were killed in Haiti and their bodies carried across the border by a river; one suspect has been arrested as families fear retaliation.

By: Haitian Prime News|February 2026|Haiti-Dominican republic

Four Haitian women who were previously deported from Puerto Rico were found murdered near the southern border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, according to Dominican authorities. The bodies were recovered in the Elías Piña region after being carried by a river from Haitian territory into the Dominican Republic.

Authorities stated that the women were killed in Haiti before their bodies were disposed of near the border area. Dominican officials confirmed the arrest of a Haitian national identified as Chin Laduse in connection with the case. The investigation remains ongoing.

According to reporting by El Nuevo Día, the victims were Haitian nationals between the ages of 27 and 31. They arrived in Puerto Rico by boat in December 2024 and lived in San Juan neighborhoods including Barrio Obrero and Puerto Nuevo. All four women were deported following immigration enforcement actions.

One of the women was deported approximately two months prior to her death, while the other three were removed roughly three months and 15 days earlier, according to the report.

Leonard Prophil, a Haitian community leader and Creole interpreter in Puerto Rico, said he was contacted by the victims’ families after the women went missing. He stated that they had been unaccounted for approximately two weeks before the bodies were discovered.

Prophil linked the killings to Haiti’s ongoing gang violence, noting that deported individuals—particularly women—are frequently targeted for kidnapping, extortion, and violence. Criminal groups often assume deportees have access to financial support from relatives abroad, especially in the United States or Puerto Rico.

“Deporting these people means condemning them to death,” Prophil said, calling for alternatives to deportation amid Haiti’s deepening security and humanitarian crisis.

He added that the case aligns with a broader pattern of violence against deported Haitians. According to his statements, at least 18 Haitian deportees from the United States have been killed after their return, with nine of those cases reportedly involving individuals deported from Puerto Rico.

Out of fear of gang retaliation, the victims’ families have declined to release the women’s names or photographs.

Thousands of Haitians continue to undertake dangerous sea journeys—often aboard small vessels known as “yolas”—to reach Puerto Rico. Many face detention and deportation, only to return to a country struggling with widespread gang control, kidnappings, and institutional collapse.

Sources

El Nuevo Día

Statements from Haitian community

representatives in Puerto Rico Dominican Republic law enforcement officials