Missouri considers naming highway for martyred missionaries

Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker introduced legislation Thursday that would rename a section of Highway 60 in Missouri after two missionaries who were murdered in Haiti last year. Baker’s daughter, Natalie Lloyd, 21, and her husband Davy Lloyd, 23, were a young couple serving at a mission in Port-au-Prince. They were shot to death by Haitian gang members on May 23, 2024. The attackers also killed Jude Montis, 47, the director of the mission.

Baker introduced House Bill 810. The bill would rename a stretch of Highway 60 that runs near the city of Neosho as Lloyd Memorial Highway. The bill designates a three-mile section from Kodiak Road to Cemetery Road, just outside the city of Neosho. The bill would also authorize the Missouri Department of Transportation to post signs for the designated section of highway. The signs would be paid for by private donations. Rep. Baker announced the bill in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

How did the killings take place? The Lloyds, along with Montis, were shot by Haitian gang members after they left a church event in Port-au-Prince. The young couple served as full-time missionaries with Missions in Haiti Inc. The organization has operated a school, church, bakery, and shelters for children on a compound in the Bon Repos neighborhood on the north side of Port-au-Prince.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s initial report on the attacks.