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| Kayla Mueller - 26 Years Old and Killed by ISIS |
“It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the death of Kayla Jean Mueller,” Obama said in a statement released by the White House. “On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I convey our deepest condolences to Kayla’s family – her parents, Marsha and Carl, and her brother Eric and his family – and all of those who loved Kayla dearly. At this time of unimaginable suffering, the country shares in their grief.”
ISIS claimed in a statement Friday Mueller had been killed, but no evidence of her death was presented, prompting doubts about ISIS’s claim from former U.S. officials.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said that over the weekend, the Mueller family "received a private message from Kayla's [ISIS] captors containing additional information."
Once this information was authenticated by the intelligence community, they concluded that Kayla was deceased.
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