Where is Austin Tice?: We believe he’s alive
Embedded
Investigative journalists Josh Baker and Sara Obidat track the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice through the lens of the rece
Key takeaways
- American journalist Austin Tace has been missing in Syria since 2012.
- The Assad regime recently fell after rebel forces seized control of major territories, including Damascus.
- A source provided a purple folder containing GPS coordinates for every location where Austin might have been held.
- Former Syrian army officer Salam shared intelligence regarding the 'Palestine Branch' (Branch 235) as a potential site.
- Deborah Tice, Austin's mother, stated she has vetted information from significant sources suggesting her son is alive.
Main topics
- The disappearance of Austin Tice
- The fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime
- Investigative journalism in conflict zones
Notable quotes
Find Austin.
Conclusion
The episode highlights how sudden political shifts can provide unprece
Transcript preview
Speaker 1 (0:00) This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy, David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant turn. And it did take me a while to realize it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right. Because the monkey pressed the button. Surprising stories every week, wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 4 (0:23) Hey, I'm Kelly McEvers, and this is Embedded from NPR. Today we're starting a new series. It's a partnership with the BBC. 14 years ago, an American journalist named Austin Tice disappeared in Syria. I was one of the many people who were reporting in Syria at the time, and I will never forget it. By now, it has become one of the biggest missing person cases of our time. Austin's mother, Deborah Tice, has never stopped looking for him. World leaders have called for his release. But still, very little is known about what actually happened to him. For the past few years, BBC investigative journalists Josh Baker and Sara Obidat have followed Austin's trail. And what they have uncovered is a story about power struggles, secret documents, and people who do not want the story to be told. Many of the discoveries in this investigation have never been made public before. And just so you know, we have been checking in with Austin's family as we have reported it. Okay, here's Josh and Sara. Speaker 2 (1:42) From room to room, we're going up another floor. Each room is kind of in ransacked. Speaker 3 (1:48) He's saying we need to look here. We just need to sweep this. Somebody Speaker 2 (1:57) tried to burn this and it didn't burn. We don't have a significant. Something about Lebanese intelligence. It's Speaker 7 (2:08) December 2024. I'm moving down the dark, narrow, windowless corridor of a Syrian intelligence facility with my colleague Sara. Speaker 7 (2:20) This is one of the most notorious and secretive buildings in Syria. And it's where we've come to get answers. Speaker 2 (2:28) I've never been set on fire. It's so precarious. The Speaker 3 (2:38) Russian detainee, the German corpse, confessions, the death of number 1002. I guess that's a pregnant number. Speaker 7 (2:50) We're searching for information about Austin Tice. He's an American journalist who disappeared in Syria more than a decade ago. Today, he's one of the most high-profile missing person cases in the world. Speaker 2 (3:07) Look this up. Can you look underneath? And this end? Oh, my God. Maybe. Maybe. Let me go quickly and try. You try. Yeah, keep looking. Speaker 7 (3:37) The keys we've just found might unlock a safe that we've been told contains answers about what happened to Austin Tice. Now, I need to see if these are the right keys. Oh, Speaker 2 (3:53) that's amazing. Yes, this is it. Okay, hold on. Speaker 7 (4:07) Let me just step back a few months, to the 14th of August 2024, the first time I met Austin's mother. Speaker 5 (4:18) I need 13, please. Thank you. Speaker 2 (4:22) Do you get nervous? Speaker 5 (4:24) No, I did persuasive speaking when I was in middle school. It's definitely good for mothering. Speaker 5 (4:32) You ready to go? Hey, Deborah. Hey! I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for coming. Yeah, absolutely. I really appreciate it. Speaker 7 (4:42) This is Deborah Tice. Today marks the 12th anniversary of Austin's disappearance. I'm following her down a corridor at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. We pass by a large poster of Austin. He's broad-shouldered, handsome. with thick, dark hair and a chiseled jaw. Then we enter a grand ballroom. Speaker 3 (5:05) Everyone! We're about to get started. If you want to start getting to your seats. Today, we recognize a major and sobering step in the long journey home for Austin Tice. Twelve years ago today, Austin was taken in Syria, where he was working as a journalist. We are joining together with Austin's friends and his family in urging the U.S. government to bring Austin home. Speaker 7 (5:35) This is no ordinary gathering. There are FBI agents, members of the intelligence community and government officials. Because for more than a decade, every American president has paid attention to Austin's case. On a big screen, recorded messages start to play. There's the head of McClatchy, one of the news organisations that Austin worked for. Speaker 8 (6:01) Today marks yet another year without Austin Tice, an American journalist and veteran US Marine who has been missing in Syria for over a decade. Speaker 7 (6:10) He's followed by Donald Trump's former national security adviser. Speaker 1 (6:14) Austin was the type of man that every dad wants their son to grow up to be like, a US Marine. a photojournalist in combat zones, a Georgetown Law student, a great son and a terrific brother. And Speaker 7 (6:28) then his mother, Deborah, is introduced. She has this long, striking silver hair and warm, gentle smile. She's petite and quietly spoken, but exudes a strength that comes from years of refusing to give up on her son. Speaker 3 (6:45) She's a badass. She's a woman of faith. I know she's a huge inspiration to me and a huge inspiration to many. If we can welcome to the stage, Deborah Tice. Speaker 5 (6:58) Right now, I just want to speak to Austin publicly. Speaker 5 (7:03) Stay strong, Austin. Keep the faith. We have many good people working for you and praying for your release. You will walk free again. I love you. You hang in there. Speaker 7 (7:24) The people here see Austin as an American hero who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, who put his life on the line to report on the civil war in Syria. Speaker 7 (7:36) As the applause dies down, I look around. Faces are still, eyes fixed on nothing. A thousand-yard stare shared by many, not least of all Deborah, whose expression seems caught between gratitude for those who've come to honour her son and the quiet, unrelenting weight of his absence. Speaker 7 (8:03) The next day, I meet back up with Deborah at the National Press Club. She walks over to a grand wooden cabinet. It's got some of Austin's possessions on display. Speaker 5 (8:13) They have these shoes in it. Speaker 7 (8:15) His Converse All-Stars. Speaker 5 (8:17) It's all he ever wore. If you look really closely... Speaker 7 (8:21) Yeah, that's his reporter's name. Speaker 5 (8:23) Under his name, Austin Tice, where it says, if found, please contact, there's a phone number. Speaker 7 (8:31) Oh, that's your home phone number? And Speaker 5 (8:33) every now and then, someone noticed it and they would dare to call. And they would say, are you really his mother? I'm like, I'm really his mother. He wanted to be a journalist, international reporter for NPR. That was his dream. And then when he turned 18, he really was like, if I'm going to go to college, I'm going to Georgetown. And then he called them and said, well, if you don't accept me this semester, I'm going to apply again next semester. And if you don't accept me, I'm going to apply this semester after that. And I'm not going to any other college. I really think he only got in so that they could use their own phone occasionally. Speaker 2 (9:18) So he's a pretty determined guy, then. Speaker 5 (9:20) He has a pretty strong will,