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The search for Austin Tice: Inside one of the biggest missing-person cases of our time

NPR | By Josh Baker,

Sara Obeidat

Published September 8, 2026 at 4:52 PM PDT

American journalist Austin Tice has been missing in Syria for more than a decade. Nobody knows what happened to him. Austin’s mum and even the president of the United States believe he is still alive. Then suddenly, the Syrian regime falls. As Josh Baker travels to try to find him, a source gives him secret information that might unlock where he is — and a simple instruction: “Find Austin”

It's 2024. American journalist Austin Tice has been missing in Syria for more than a decade. Nobody knows what happened to him. Austin's mum and even the president of the United States believe he is still alive. Then suddenly, the Syrian regime falls. As Josh Baker travels to try to find him, a source gives him secret information that might unlock where he is — and a simple instruction: "Find Austin."

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Produced by Simon Maybin, Monika Evstatieva and Lucy Burns. Edited by Clare Fordham, Katie Simon and Robert Little. Fact checking by Nicolette Khan and Mary Glendinning. Mastering by Tom Brignell.