Debra Tice, the mother of missing Texan journalist Austin Tice, has reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance in locating her son, who disappeared in Syria over a decade ago.
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In a touching letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Debra Tice, the mother of missing Texan journalist Austin Tice, begs for his assistance in locating her son, who went missing in Syria twelve years ago.
"The current situation in Syria compels us to ask for your help in finding Austin and safely reuniting our family," wrote Debra Tice in a letter. She emphasized Putin's power over the Syrian government and said she hoped his assistance would help her family find the answers they had been looking for for a long time.
Reports of a possible lead on Austin's whereabouts coincide with the letter. Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Debra Tice that Israel would refrain from carrying out attacks in the vicinity of a covert jail outside of Damascus where Austin might have been detained. There is still hope for a breakthrough because the prison, which is said to have secret tunnels, has not been investigated.
Austin, a freelance journalist and former Marine, was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 while reporting on the ongoing crisis there. His whereabouts are still unknown despite years of effort.
Debra Tice's appeal also reflects a new sense of hope after Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, was overthrown recently. She is still adamant that she will travel to any place, even Russia, to be with her kid again.
"We would, of course, be willing to travel to Moscow or any place on earth to put our arms around our precious Austin and bring him safely home," she said.
Debra Tice said she is confident in her choice to speak with Putin and that she will take all necessary steps to bring her son back in an interview with NBC News
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