(Rightallegiance.com) – An American man, Pete Travis Timmerman, has been located in a Damascus suburb, ending months of speculation and anxiety for his family. Timmerman, who had been reported missing earlier this year, was found barefoot and wandering the streets of al-Thiyabiyah, a small town near Syria’s capital, on Thursday morning.
A man identifying himself as an American from Missouri, Travis Timmerman, has been found in Syria after he said he was freed from a prison earlier in the week, when dictator Bashar al-Assad was forced from power.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) December 12, 2024
Timmerman told @CBSLizpalmer that he had been trying to make his… pic.twitter.com/P9ybbxuwGg
Timmerman, 29, was last seen in Budapest, Hungary, in early June. During a press briefing in Damascus, he explained that his disappearance was tied to a pilgrimage. According to Timmerman, he had crossed into Syria from Lebanon on foot but was detained shortly thereafter. His release and subsequent appearance in Damascus coincided with the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad by opposition forces.
“It’s a Christmas miracle,” said Stacey Collins Gardiner, Timmerman’s mother, when contacted by NPR. The family had endured months of uncertainty, relying only on sporadic updates about their son’s whereabouts.
Local residents in al-Thiyabiyah were the first to discover Timmerman, describing him as disoriented but physically unharmed. In an interview with the Arabic news channel Al-Arabiya, Timmerman recounted his imprisonment, saying he had been kept in isolation. While he reported not being subjected to physical abuse, he disclosed hearing the sounds of others being tortured in nearby cells.
The mystery surrounding Timmerman’s disappearance began in Budapest, where Hungarian police issued a missing person’s alert after he attended a church service in June. Similarly, the Missouri State Highway Police had circulated a flyer last year reporting him missing, noting his last known location as Hungary.
A video that surfaced Thursday showed Timmerman lying on a mattress covered with a blanket. In the footage, a group of men assured viewers that he was being treated well and would soon return to the United States.
Timmerman’s background is a mix of academic achievement and personal introspection. After earning a finance degree from Missouri State University in 2017 and a subsequent law degree, he briefly worked in Chicago. However, his mother noted that he returned home to Urbana, Missouri, seeking a simpler life focused on writing about nature and his Christian faith. “He went to church frequently and wanted to help people,” Gardiner shared.
Gardiner revealed that Timmerman’s decision to travel to Budapest was driven by his desire to write and assist others. Although communication became sporadic, he had warned his family that his journey might limit his ability to stay in touch. She later learned that he had traveled from Hungary to Lebanon before entering Syria.
“At first, I was hoping it was him, but we didn’t know if it was a scam or what,” Gardiner recalled. It wasn’t until her daughter spotted news coverage that the family confirmed Timmerman’s identity. “I was so happy, I cried too — happy tears,” she added.
Despite the joy of his rediscovery, Gardiner has yet to speak with her son or receive official communication from the U.S. government about his situation. “When I see him, I will hug him and probably won’t let him go,” she said with a laugh. “Thank God you’re still alive. Our prayers came true.”
The initial release of the video showing Timmerman sparked speculation that the man could be Austin Tice, a U.S. journalist who disappeared in Syria over a decade ago. A U.S. official later confirmed that the individual in the footage was not Tice. However, the recent developments have renewed hope for Tice’s family, who continue to advocate for his safe return.
The unfolding events surrounding Timmerman’s disappearance and rediscovery have brought both relief and lingering questions about his ordeal. For his family, the priority remains his safe return to the United States and the opportunity to reunite after a harrowing chapter of uncertainty.