OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - Family members of a former Marine being held hostage in Syria say they're hopeful after the fall of the Assad regime.
“This has been overwhelming,” said Jacob Tice, Austin Tice’s brother.
Jacob Tice and his sister Naomi spoke to ABC News in Washington D.C., after a long-planned meeting with White House officials—an update on Austin Tice, a freelance journalist abducted in 2012 while reporting in Syria on an uprising against Assad.
“Maybe this is the moment that will lead to his release. I know that we are actively hoping and praying for that,” said Naomi Tice.
WATCH: Tice's brother and sister share their initial reaction to gathering in DC for the first time since their brother was detained. (Interview via ABC News)
I first spoke with Austin's mother, Debra, in 2022.
“All the holidays, we never miss him less,” said Debra Tice in the interview.
She told ABC 10News that her son joined the reserves after leaving active duty.
A photo shows a smiling Austin while she and her son were on a boat tour off San Diego in early 2011.
He would train at Camp Pendleton for several months after being mobilized as a reservist for a deployment to Afghanistan.
After his deployment, during the summer before his final year of law school, Tice was abducted in Syria.
A video released weeks later showed a blindfolded Tice held by armed men.
It's believed he was being held by Syria, though Assad's regime denied it.
With the fall of the regime, the rebels are now reportedly freeing prisoners. Austin's siblings hope he will be among those freed.
“It's a possibility. That's one of them. The array of possibilities is enormous,” said Jacob Tice.
WATCH: Tice's siblings reflect on their brother's character, possibility of him being free (interview via ABC News)
A few days before the fall of the regime, Austin's family, citing a ‘significant source,’ had revealed Austin was alive. The situation in Syria remains fluid.
“We are not asking for a rescue mission. We are asking for active diplomacy. That is our hope,” said Naomi Tice.
White House officials have called finding Austin a top priority, revealing they're working with contacts on the ground in Syria to locate him.
"We are eagerly anticipating seeing Austin walk free," loved ones said in a statement.
Among those waiting are six nieces and nephews. He's only met one of them.
“We can hold the hope in our heads. We can hold it in our hearts … I know that they are absolutely looking forward to crawling all over him and giving him the biggest hugs in the world,” said Naomi Tice.
