Published Wednesday, 11 November 2026 (ET) · Source: Dominican media reports; no detailed official account yet
Two Dominican fishermen who vanished at sea on Sunday 8 November were found dead with gunshot wounds in waters near Haiti, according to local reports. Their home communities of Buen Hombre and Punta Rucia, on the Dominican Republic’s northern coast, are demanding an official explanation.
No Dominican authority has published a detailed account of how, where or by whom the men were killed, and early accounts that blame Haitian attackers remain unconfirmed. This article sets out what local reports say and marks what is still open.
What We Know
The two men set out to fish on Sunday 8 November and were reported missing before their bodies were found. Local accounts say the bodies were recovered close to Haitian territory and brought by boat to the beach at Buen Hombre.
Local reports say the men made a last phone call to say they were being shot at. Preliminary accounts say both bodies had gunshot wounds.
Archive photo: the Puerto Plata lighthouse (Faro de Puerto Plata), taken on 14 March 2010. Photo: Juan Espaillat / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).What Residents Are Demanding
Fishing associations and community leaders are calling for a transparent investigation into how the men died. They also want anyone responsible identified and lasting protection for fishermen working near the maritime border.
No official reply to these demands had been published at the time of writing. We will update this article when the authorities speak.
What Is Not Known
No detailed official account has given the exact place where the bodies were found, the cause of death or the identity of any attacker. Names also differ between reports, and one account names the second man as José Dionicio Cabrera.
Anonymous local sources have offered other versions of why the men were at sea, and we do not repeat unconfirmed claims about the victims. Official bodies were reported to be investigating, but none had published findings.
Our earlier reports on security along the Dominican–Haitian frontier include Dominicans Keep 8,000 Troops on Haiti Border and Haiti Gang Operation Alarms Dominican Border.Those reports concern land-border events, and no authority has linked them to these deaths at sea.