Family of Indy man killed by ISIS in 2014 releases statement on Qatari mission to recover American hostages’ remains

INDIANAPOLIS — The remains of an Indianapolis man killed by ISIS in 2014 may have been located in Syria recently.

According to a report from Reuters,

a Qatari group has been searching for the remains of some American hostages who were killed by ISIS more than a decade ago. Reuters reported that the group conducting the mission consists of officials from Qatar and a few Americans.

Reuters’ report indicates that the group’s initial focus was on locating the remains of Peter Kassig, an Indianapolis native also known as Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig.

Previous reporting from FOX59/CBS4 indicates Kassig was one of the individuals beheaded during a 16-minute video released by ISIS in 2014.

Per Reuters, at the time of Kassig’s death, Islamic State controlled large portions of Syria and Iraq. Per a previous report, the 26-year-old Kassig was working in the area as an aid worker, assisting victims of the Syrian Civil War via a nonprofit group he created.

According to FOX59/CBS4’s previous reporting, Kassig was first captured by ISIS in October 2013. ISIS released the video depicting Kassig and others’ beheadings on Nov. 16, 2014.

Reuters reported that the Qatari group has recovered the remains of three individuals so far. None of the recovered remains have been officially identified yet. Kassig’s parents, Ed and Paula Kassig, released a statement on the Qatari group’s efforts Sunday morning.

“We learned yesterday from the U.S. government of a collaborative effort involving Qatar, the United States, and at least one nongovernmental group,” the Kassig family wrote in a prepared statement. “This work has found remains of some individuals in or near Dabiq, Syria. Some or all of these people may have been killed by ISIS. It is possible that the remains include those of our son, Peter Kassig, also known as Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig. We are awaiting an analysis that will try to determine the identities of the deceased. 

“We are grateful to all those who are involved in the effort to get these deceased individuals’ remains identified and returned to their home countries and loved ones. Until more is known, we will have no further comment. Thank you for allowing us privacy during this time.” 

According to Reuters’ report, the group believed Kassig’s remains would be located near those of slain U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, both of whom were hostages killed by Islamic State in 2014.

In its initial report, Reuters indicated that it is currently unknown exactly how long the Qatari group’s search for the remains of slain American hostages will continue.