Missing American journalist's family break silence over cruel rumors his body was found in Syria

The household of missing American writer Austin Tice person slammed the 'deeply disrespectful' rumor claiming that his assemblage has been recovered successful Syria. 

Tice, 43, was kidnapped portion reporting successful the war-torn Middle Eastern state connected August 13, 2012, and his household person been striving to unafraid his harmless return. 

On Sunday, respective newspapers reported that the erstwhile US Marine's assemblage had been discovered successful a Syrian cemetery, indicating that helium had died. 

However, rumors of the Texas native's decease person not been verified by officials, and his household person called the reports 'erroneous'.  

'We admit immoderate ngo is ongoing to assistance families of ISIS victims find closure,' they said, according to CNN planetary analogous Clarissa Ward. 

'However, an archetypal and erroneous study that Austin Tice was identified among the remains was rapidly and wholly contradicted. 

'The gratuitous repetition of this rumor is designed for clicks and is unfortunate and profoundly disrespectful to the family.' 

US officials are moving with contacts wrong Syria to effort to find Tice, and successful December, then-outgoing president Joe Biden said helium believed helium was inactive alive. 

The White House said uncovering Tice was 'a apical priority' aft the melodramatic autumn of Bashar al-Assad's brutal authorities successful the last weeks of 2024. 

The FBI besides reissued its $1 cardinal reward for accusation starring to his harmless betterment and return.

Tice was 31 erstwhile helium was abducted successful August 2012 portion reporting successful Damascus connected the uprising against Assad, who was ousted by rebels aft 24 years successful power. 

He freelanced for respective well-known publications, including McClatchy, The Washington Post and CBS News. 

Syrian officials had ever denied helium was successful their custody. 

'Austin Tice is alive, successful Syria, and it's clip for him to travel home,' his parents Debra and Marc Tice said aft Assad was overthrown successful December.

'We are eagerly anticipating seeing Austin locomotion escaped and we are asking anyone who tin bash truthful to delight assistance Austin truthful helium tin safely instrumentality location to our family.'

Rescue ngo person Bryan Stern also told DailyMail.com he received accusation conscionable before rebel forces overthrew Assad indicating that Tice was inactive alive. 

However, helium added that since prisons successful Syria were abandoned amid the coup, determination were fears that Tice whitethorn not person been capable to entree nutrient oregon water. 

'One of the nuances present is that if you run nether the presumption that Austin is alive, oregon astatine slightest close until the Assad authorities fell – if you instrumentality each that arsenic true, past the facilities that helium was successful person since been abandoned,' Grey Bull Rescue laminitis Stern explained.

'He is probably, if he's being held and if he's alive, is hidden successful a concealed room, wrong a concealed place, wrong a concealed building, wrong a concealed passageway – 1 of those deals.

'Very, very, precise fewer radical really cognize that, which means, from a tactical perspective, astir apt Austin has been successful a country with nary food, nary h2o for astir 8 days.'

The Assad authorities crumbled erstwhile the equipped Islamist radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stormed into the superior Damascus.

Assad was reported to person been granted governmental asylum by his allies successful Moscow.

In the aftermath of his departure, crowds descended connected Sednaya situation to find relatives who person been missing since the aboriginal stages of the 13-year-long civilian war.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimated this twelvemonth that 130,000 radical were taxable to arbitrary apprehension oregon detention during the conflict.