The following is a collection of messages that I have received
regarding the death (murder) of Jean Joseph Dorvil. Many may have
seen these already but I will share them here to help everyone
understand these unfortunate events. Your continued prayers for
Cathy, her family and Joseph's family are requested.(Michael Thurmond)


To All: This message from Susan Speraw
Tuesday, December 14, 2004 11:35 AM


Dear Martha,

Cathy was finally able to get in touch with one of the hospitalized
witnesses, and they have confirmed that Joseph was killed in the
incident. The witness was somewhat vague about the last moments in
the truck, but she did see Joseph's body and has no doubt at all that
he died. Apparently the killers made sure of that. The witness is
extremely traumatized. We have still not recovered the body, but
there is no longer any doubt that Joseph is gone.


Please pass this along to those who need to know, and keep all of us
in your prayers. Cathy is calling members of Joseph's immediate
family to let them know.


We will hopefully be able to recover the body so that we can have a
funeral. However it is going to take major UN intervention, I think,
because of the region where the incident took place.


Susan


=================
Following is an e-mail sent to me from my daughter Lisa, who is on
fellowship at the CDC. This was information sent by Father Tom
Streit, the Director of the Center for Tropical Disease, Research and
Training at HSC in affiliation with the University of Notre Dame and
the Gate's Foundation. It was received by Dr. Pat Lammie, one of the
top researcher's in the area of filariasis at the CDC and was sent to
my daughter via another CDC researcher involved with filariasis.

Sadly enough, that Saturday morning I received the new website for
the Children's Nutrition program and was so delighted to see Cathy
Speraw and the faces of others in the program. The website is: <A
HREF='http://www.cnphaiti.org'>www.cnphaiti.org</A>.

Apparently there was a major effort today to reclaim some of Citi
Soliel, where Joseph was last seen.

AOL Users can see: AOL News - Hundreds of U.N. Troops Storm Haiti Slum
See <A
HREF='http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1204/194336.html'>Hundreds of
U.N. Troops Storm Haiti Slum</A>

Cynthia Calhoun

===================
From: Lammie, Patrick J.
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 6:08 PM
Subject: Jean Joseph Dorvil

Dear Colleagues,

I'm forwarding an e-mail from Father Tom Streit regarding the
disappearance of Jean Joseph Dorvil, a key member of the filariasis
team in Haiti. Joseph was an inspiration to all of us because of his
incredible commitment, both to the program and to his education. We
are holding out hope that Joseph will turn up unharmed.

Please keep Joseph and Cathy in your thoughts and prayers.

Pat

==============================
From: Thomas Streit, CSC
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 4:45 PM
To: Lammie, Patrick J.
Subject: RE: Haiti problems


13 December 2004


RE: Current graduate student Jean Joseph Dorvil, MSA Program,
Mendoza College of Business


Jean Joseph Dorvil, 29, currently enrolled MSA student in the Mendoza
College of Business was taking online courses from Haiti this
academic year, and was due to return to campus for the coming summer.

Mr. Dorvil is an integral part of the University-sponsored Gates
Foundation funded program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF or
elephantiasis) from Haiti by 2012, serving as the program
administrator. He has been involved in this effort for 12 years.

Mr. Dorvil is missing after a Saturday morning trip from Leogane (the
Notre Dame Haiti Program's base of operations) for a visit to his
family's town of Arcahaie. Leogane is just west of Haiti's capital
Port-au-Prince, Arcahaie is just north. This necessitated a trip
through the capital; apparently Dorvil took a shortcut through a
notoriously dangerous area and ended up on the "Route Nef" or
the "New Road" just outside of Citi Soliel a slum holdout of pro-
Aristide gangs.

Phone calls to Mr. Dorvil's cell phone were picked up by "chimeres"
or Aristide partisans who claimed to have killed the driver of the
car with gunfire because he failed to stop at an impromptu road
barrier when commanded. At least two unidentified foreigners which
eyewitnesses reported in the car with Dorvil were released and fled.
These persons are still unknown and being sought. When asked the
whereabouts of any victims, the insurgents were not helpful.

Dr. Jack Lafontant, the director of Hopital Ste. Croix, requested the
UN and the Haitian police among others help to retrieve a green four
door 2000 Nissan truck clearly identified by logo as a hospital
vehicle, and search for any victims. All have so far declined to
send any personnel into the area, saying that the locality is too
dangerous.

In December of 2003, Dorvil was marred to Catherine Speraw Dorvil, an
American working for the Haiti Children's Nutrition Program out of
Chattanooga, Tennessee, a project also based at Hopital Ste. Croix.
She is a graduate of Harvard University with a Masters in Public
Health.

Prayers are requested.