Child slain in Haiti after family can't pay ransom, police say

Kidnappers executed a 7-year-old boy because his family could not afford to pay US$680 (euro458) in ransom, police said Monday.

The body of Schneider Hervil was found Friday in the town of Cabaret, north of the Haitian capital, about two weeks after abductors snatched him from his family's home, police spokesman Frantz Lerebours told a news conference.

The specific cause of his death was not known, Lerebours said.

The child's family received a phone call from kidnappers demanding US$680 (euro458) for his release, but was unable to raise the cash, he said.

No arrests have been made.

At least 16 kidnappings were reported in Haiti through Nov. 20 this year, down from the nearly 80 reported for the full month of November 2006, U.N. peacekeepers said.

They warned abductions are expected to increase in coming weeks as gangs try to raise money to buy Christmas presents in the impoverished Caribbean nation.