Family of US Journalist Long Missing in Syria Still Holds Out Hope

A body discovered in Syria is not the remains of kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice, his family confirms.

Tice, a freelance reporter who received accolades for his early coverage of the Syrian civil war, has been missing since Aug. 14, 2012.

According to a family spokesman, “[A]n initial and erroneous report that Austin Tice was identified among the remains was quickly and completely contradicted.”

“We appreciate whatever mission is ongoing to help families of ISIS victims find closure,” the spokesman said. 

Debra Tice, the mother of Austin Tice, speaks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, “Roundtable: Americans Detained Abroad,” on April 30, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Tice, who now would be 43, was first confirmed alive when video footage was posted on YouTube on Sept. 26, 2012. In the video, he is shown reciting Arabic and saying in English “Oh, Jesus.” Tice is a former Marine Corps captain who was reporting on the Syrian civil war during the summer between his second and third years of law school. 

While in Syria, Tice wrote for The Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, and CBS. 

A Houston native, he grew up dreaming of covering news overseas for National Public Radio (NPR). The eldest of seven children and an Eagle Scout, he graduated from Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2002. He subsequently served tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Tice disappeared near the Darayya suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus, leading many to conclude that he had been taken captive by the Syrian government.

A report in January said that Tice had managed to briefly escape his initial captivity after more than five months in a Damascus prison. Tice was seen walking around the Mazzeh neighborhood, a rich part of the Syrian capital, and took refuge at the house of a prominent Syrian family before being recaptured. This was the most credible public evidence to date that Tice was indeed being held captive by the Syrian government. 

Last May, then-President Joe Biden released a statement saying that the freelance journalist was “still being held hostage in Syria after nearly 12 years,” appearing to confirm that the American remained alive up until that time. He is also thought to have survived the fall of longtime strongman Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria on Dec. 8.

It is not publicly known who is holding Tice hostage—if he indeed remains alive.

Austin’s mother, Debris Tice, visited with Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in January and spoke publicly about renewed hope for finding her son alive. 

“I have great hope that the Trump administration will sincerely engage in diligent work to bring Austin home,” Tice said.

“His [Trump’s] people have already reached out to me. I haven’t experienced that for the last four years,” she explained. 

A reward of up to $1 million is still being offered by the U.S. government for information leading directly to the safe location, recovery, and return of Tice. 

The post Family of US Journalist Long Missing in Syria Still Holds Out Hope appeared first on The Daily Signal.