Friday marks 14 years since freelance journalist and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice disappeared from a checkpoint near Damascus while reporting on the Syrian civil war. His family in Houston is still holding out hope that he is alive and being held somewhere in the Middle East.
Tice's sister, Naomi Tice, and his mother, Debra Tice, both say the United States’ war with Iran, which began earlier this year, has complicated efforts to locate Austin and secure his return.
"He was in prison in Syria, and now, you know, it’s difficult," Debra Tice said. "The Middle East is always difficult for the United States, but now to be trying to find him somewhere in the Middle East … Is he on the coast? Is he in Iran? Is he in North Syria? Is he in the Beqaa [Valley of Lebanon]?"
Debra Tice said the family is pushing for three possible developments that could help them in their aim to bring Austin home. First, they're seeking to secure a meeting with recently confirmed U.S. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, "and to share with him how important his role is in getting Austin home," Debra Tice said, "because [former DNI] Tulsi Gabbard really opened the gate for us, and so we were really hoping that that happens again with Jay Clayton."
Houston Public Media reached out to Clayton’s office for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
Debra Tice said the family is also seeking to connect with Israel's coordinator for the hostages and the missing, who plays a role similar to that of the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Hostage Affairs Dustin Stewart. Finally, and most importantly, she said, the Tice family is pushing for the U.S. government to seek information directly from the Iranian government about Austin as the two states seek to negotiate an end to their monthslong war.
RELATED: Kidnapped Houston journalist Austin Tice may be alive and in Iran, his family says
"We have really good reason to believe that Austin was held in prisons that were operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," said his sister, Naomi Tice, "and so because of that, we think that Iran would probably know some about where he was at least prior to 2024, but then there’s a very large possibility that he was actually moved to Iran."
Debra Tice has been one of the fiercest advocates pushing for successive presidential administrations to assist on her son's behalf. But health problems have limited her ability to press his case in recent months. She said that has led to less follow-up from the U.S. government, apart from some contacts with the FBI.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, issued a statement Friday morning with the aim of drawing attention to Austin's case.
"Austin and other Americans in captivity around the world deserve the full and active support of our government to secure their release," Cornyn said, "and as we mark the grim anniversary of Austin's captivity today, I urge the Trump administration to redouble their efforts to bring him home."
Copyright 2026 Houston Public Media News 88.7