Former New York Human Rights Attorney Shot And Killed On Small Island In Micronesia

A former New York human rights attorney was shot and killed with her dog Monday morning on the small Pacific nation of Micronesia, where she was serving as attorney general.

Rachelle Bergeron, 33, was reportedly jogging with her dog on the island state of Yap, where she was confronted by an unidentified assailant and shot in the chest and leg.

Simon Haemmerling, Bergeron’s husband, was home when he heard gunshots and rushed outside to see what had happened. He was aided by a nurse who lived nearby and helped load Bergeron into Haemmerling’s flatbed truck. He rushed to nearby Yap Memorial Hospital where Bergeron was announced dead on arrival.

“Yap's community and spirit is broken,” Yap Department of Youth and Civic Affairs Director Constantine Yowbalaw told Pacific Daily News. “Yap's pride and reputation is tarnished.”

FBI spokesperson Michelle Ernst confirmed that it would send a team out as quickly as possible to assist local police with their investigation.

Before going to Yap, Bergeron had worked as a human rights attorney in Washington, D.C., and New York City. One of her more notable works in New York was setting up the youth outreach program for Sanctuary for Families. The program was established to identify possible victims of sex trafficking.

Bergeron had been working in the attorney general’s office since August 2015, starting as assistant attorney general. She was then named acting attorney general in January 2019.

Joe Adams, a friend of Bergeron and Haemmerling, set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for travel and funeral costs.

“We grieve with Simon in his terrible loss and pray that he will have strength through the loss of his best friend and the person that had brought him so much joy and true happiness,” Adams wrote on the page.