Haitian Doctor Texts While Buried Under Rubble, Groups Searching DR Hospitals

The search is on for a Haitian doctor missing from a local orphanage.

Anyone who has information on Dr. Smith should contact Lucille Innocent: fanmkreyol28@yahoo.com, the cell phone number is 863-419-6543.

(PORT-AU-PRINCE/SALEM) - The staff of an orphanage in Haiti has contacted Salem-News.com in hope of locating a well known doctor who may be in a hospital in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Laine Jo Smith has an orphanage in Laplaine, Haiti.

Lucille Innocent with Dr. Smith's team, says three days after the disaster, they received a text from him, stating that "He is alive, to come get him under the rumbles of the Perfection auto ecole in Delmas 28," Innocent said.

They have searched all of Haiti's hospitals at this point, with no sign of Dr. Laine Smith. Now they believe that he may have been rescued and evacuated.

"Our only hope is in the Dominican Republic hospitals, because they were the first to help with airlifting and ambulances, trucks, etc." She added, "God bless you guys" in regard to the Dominican rescuers.

Dr. Laine Jo Smith is in his 40's, and he is five feet seven inches tall. His "orphalina" in Laplaine, Haiti is located about 15 minutes from the capitol.

Regarding the location he texted from, Lucille said, "Last we heard from him was three days after the quake, he sent a text to the radio station, saying he is alive, to come get him under the rumbles of The Perfection Auto Ecole at Delmas 28."

She says the family went there but didn't find the doctor, or his corpse. Lucille says a search of Dominican Republic hospitals is underway. Lucille says families in similar situations are going through the hospitals in places like Jimani, Kanj and others near the border line.

Anyone who has information on Dr. Smith should contact Lucille Innocent: fanmkreyol28@yahoo.com, the cell phone number is 863-419-6543. Lucille says Dr. Smith is also related to Dr. Saidel Laine of West Palm Beach.

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com