Funding Drive Aims To Bring Slain Austin Man's Body From Haiti

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The family of an Austin man slain in Haiti after making the yearly visit to his homeland earlier this month has launched a drive to transport his body back home for burial.

Christian Daniel, 65, had just arrived in Haiti Aug. 13 on his annual trip to visit his mother when he was accosted by a pair of unknown assailants, his family described on a GoFundMe page. Fighting them off and grabbing an assailant's gun, Daniel was attempting to escape when he was shot in the head by another gunman, according to reports.

"Now, his family in Texas is not only faced with the loss of an adored husband and father, but are also under the burden of ensuring his remains are returned to the United States for burial," the creator of the fundraising page wrote. "They need our help."

Daniel had been a resident of Austin since immigrating with his wife in 1994. He took annual sojourns to his native country to see his mother, according to the campaign page. The GoFundMe site was created in an effort to raise the $25,000 needed to transport his body back stateside for burial. Family members also are petitioning the White House to intervene in helping them secure his body.

But given a prevailing anti-immigrant climate stridently advanced by Donald Trump, family members are fearful those petitioning efforts might prove fruitless. As a result, they described their hard-working immigrant loved one as the model migrant.

"Due to modern controversies concerning immigration into the United States, it may be important to note that Christian embodied every desirable quality ever asked of an immigrant to this country," the creator of the crowd sourcing page wrote. "As a naturalized U.S. citizen, Christian believed in paying his dues and living in harmony with the law. He considered the freedoms granted to him by the U.S. Constitution to be invaluable, and personified the ethos of hard work, piety and moral responsibility often championed by American leaders. He was the uncommon individual who never complained about taxes nor anything else required of him by the United States government. He was almost Jeffersonian in his belief that all people should be guaranteed kindness, compassion and love in their lives, and if nothing else he would be that guarantee."

The page describes a man with a generosity of spirit, one who a loving nature who was a source of warmth and strength to his family.

"Christian was and will continue to be the single greatest humanitarian found in the lives of those who knew him," the page reads. "His mere presence made others around him uplifted in spirit, joyful in conversation and finding wide smiles suddenly emerging across their faces with no effort whatsoever. This effect likely stemmed from Christian’s own demeanor, pleasant as a glowing sunset over the ocean and equally as graceful, its qualities imbuing his whole personality with an inspirational aura that remains unforgettable to anyone who has met him."

In addition to his widow, Daniel is survived by a 20-year-old son attending the University of Texas at Austin and a 14-year-old daughter.

At last check, the GoFundMe campaign had raised $6,694 of a $25,000 goal. To donate, click here.

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>>> Photo of Christian Daniel (third from left) via GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner