EXCLUSIVE: In a heartfelt plea, Carl and Marsha Mueller, the parents of the late American aid worker Kayla Mueller, have penned an open letter to President Donald Trump. They are urging him to use his forthcoming meeting with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to facilitate the return of their daughter’s remains, nearly a decade after she was tragically killed by ISIS.
Shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, the letter arrives just ahead of al-Sharaa’s anticipated visit to Washington, his first since ascending to power after the fall of the Assad regime. The Muellers describe this meeting as a “providential opportunity” to bring closure to one of the most harrowing episodes of the Syrian conflict.
Kayla Mueller, an American who was 26 at the time of her death, lost her life while in ISIS captivity, her family confirmed on Tuesday.
“It has been ten long years since our daughter’s body came to rest, still unmarked and in an unknown location amidst the crimson hills of Syria,” the Muellers expressed. “Kayla’s remains have not been returned to us; her story remains unfinished.”
Remembering Kayla
Kayla was a dedicated humanitarian aid worker from Arizona, abducted by ISIS in 2013 while assisting Syrian refugees near the Turkish border. During her captivity, she was held by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who reportedly subjected her to abuse and ultimately, murder in 2015. Her remains have never been found.
In their letter, the Muellers recall the events of 2019, when Operation Kayla Mueller—initiated by President Trump—resulted in the death of al-Baghdadi in northern Syria. Appearing with Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention, the Muellers commended him for “delivering the iron fist of justice against unspeakable evil.”
Arizona Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh with Kayla Mueller’s parents on Jan. 3, 2025. (Kayla Mueller Family)
With Assad’s ouster and Syria now under an interim government, the Muellers say the political landscape has shifted dramatically. They praised growing regional cooperation to locate missing Americans and cited Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., who has personally visited Damascus to advocate for her return.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hamadeh said, “I was sworn into Congress with my hand resting on Kayla Mueller’s Bible, with my family and Kayla’s parents standing by my side. I vowed to them that I would do everything I could to bring her home. In their letter to President Trump, Kayla’s parents wrote about how Kayla was killed attempting to ‘bring light to the darkest corner of the earth — and in her own darkest hour her spirit refused to break.’ That is why I refuse to give up on bringing this remarkable young woman home to her family.”
“The Assad regime has fallen, and with new leadership brings new opportunity to write the final chapter on Americans still missing in Syria,” the Muellers wrote. “Through your leadership, we believe the torch Kayla was forced to drop has roared back to life.”
Mueller in the brief video. (Mueller Family/ABC News)
The Muellers described Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa as a defining moment — both for U.S. foreign policy and for their family’s decade-long quest for closure.
They ended the letter with a plea: “Your meeting is sure to inspire real hope across Syria’s war-torn streets. Bringing Kayla’s body home will do the same for every American heart, and together we will slam shut the era of terror’s reign in Syria and finally bring closure to Kayla’s story. This is a moment to reaffirm America’s resolve: that we never abandon our own. One more push could bring Kayla home.”
