ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross has covered hundreds of stories in his 45 years in TV news, but his reporting on the Kayla Mueller saga ranks near the top. For those not aware, the story starts in 2013. Mueller, a 25-year-old Arizona native, was living in Syria when she was suddenly torn out of her vehicle, and taken hostage by ISIS. After 18 months in captivity, the terror group killed her in February 2015.
Ross is hosting an hour-long ABC 20/20 special dedicated to the ordeal. In ‘The Girl Left Behind,’ Ross interviews 4 former hostages who shared cells with Mueller, all of whom speak publicly for the first time about their shared experience.
TVNewser talked with Ross in advance of tonight’s 10 p.m. ET broadcast.
TVNewser: Most of your reports are of a consumer/financial/political focus, but not typically about global terrorism. What drew you to this particular story for 20/20?
Ross: This report grew out of our long term reporting on ISIS, as we learned of the concerns of the U.S. hostage families who did not want to go public while their loved ones remained in captivity. The U.S. government policy on dealing with hostages and the question of ransom has been of great interest to me since I was briefly held hostage during a three-day hijacking incident in Honduras in 1982.
TVNewser: Well, with that in mind, can you tell us some things that you uncovered for the first time about Kayla and this entire ordeal?
Ross: We learned from Kayla’s parents how she was initially tortured when no humanitarian group initially claimed her and that, later, Doctors without Borders refused to help negotiate for her freedom. She had been travelling in a Doctors without Borders vehicle when she was kidnapped but the group says it has no ”moral responsibility” to help non-staff members. We also heard from people who had been hostage with Kayla how she actually stood up to the brutal guard dubbed Jihadi John, correcting him when he attempted to claim she had converted to Islam. She also stayed behind when other female hostages escaped, because she believed her presence would make their escape more difficult.
TVNewser: What did you find out about Kayla before her time in captivity?
Ross: She was an amazing young woman whose only goal was to help those who were suffering. Her friends in Turkey told us local people could not believe that an American would leave the comfort of her home to come to help refugees from the violence in Syria.
TVNewser: What stories can we expect to see Brian Ross reporting on in the near future? What’s next on your agenda?
Ross: We are deep into the political campaign, so I will be taking a hard look at both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump in upcoming stories.
TVNewser: Aside from The Girl Left Behind, what’s the most memorable story that you have covered for 20/20?
Ross: There have been so many important stories over the years. One that comes to mind is our reporting on the abuse of Peace Corps volunteers and the failure of that organization to treat them with dignity.