The family of journalist and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice, missing in Syria for over 12 years, refuted claims that his body has been discovered.
The rumor started with regional media and briefly appeared on FoxNews.com on Sunday. Despite an international search led by Qatar uncovering remains in Syria related to former ISIS captives, there is no proof any belong to Tice. Experts on his case assert he wasn’t held by ISIS nor located near where the remains surfaced. His family stated in December they have firm reasons to believe he is still living.
“We value whichever mission is underway to assist families of ISIS victims in finding closure,” a Tice family spokesperson stated. “Nonetheless, an initial incorrect claim that Austin Tice was among the remains was swiftly and wholly repudiated.”
Tice, 43, who was a freelancer photographer and journalist, was kidnapped in Damascus in August of 2012. A former captain in the Marines who served in Afghanistan, he had gone to Syria as an independent journalist in May 2012, before his final year at Georgetown Law School. No group has taken credit for his abduction.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Tice’s safe return.
