Slain Missionary in Latvia Identified as Campus Crusade for Christ Worker

The American missionary who was killed in Riga, Latvia, on Monday, Nov. 1, served with Campus Crusade for Christ, sources reported on Friday. However, his name and additional details are not being released pending an investigation by authorities.

It was reported earlier this week that police in the former Soviet republic of Latvia had found an American missionary slain in his apartment in the capital, Riga.

A police spokeswoman said the man was found with a knife plunged in his chest and what appeared to be strangulation marks around his throat. He wasn't immediately identified. Investigators found the victim's apartment in disarray and suspect he may have been robbed.

"I am shocked and puzzled at this atrocious crime," said Rev. Gregg Anderson, who serves in Latvia with an evangelistic ministry called Seventy-Times-Seven.

"I am asking the Christian community to pray during worship services this Sunday and especially for this man's friends and his family."

Although much about the missionary has not yet been made known, it has been reported that the missionary had been living in Latvia for more than two years, prior to his death.

Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy said it was trying to contact the victim's family.