now, his parents, marc and debra tice, have mounted a public campaign for more help in winning his release>> our number one focus is to bring our son austin home safely. >> woodruff: the tices were in washington this week, pressing their case, even as "islamic state" militants announced they'd burned a captive jordanian pilot alive. they had already beheaded two japanese hostages, as well as american journalists james foley and steven sotloff. and three aid workers, american peter kassig and david haines and alan henning of britain. then, today, the claim that another american aid worker, kayla mueller, died in an air strike. tice's parents say they don't believe the "islamic state" is holding their son, but they complain u.s. officials haven't told them much, one way or the other. >> there is no agency, no person, solely committed to the singular objective of the safe return of the hostage. that has to change. >> woodruff: at a forum at "the newseum", debra tice, along with james foley's mother diane listened as assistant secretary of state douglas frantz acknowledged the problem. >> we n

. >> right there with you, marc anne debra tice. thank you so much for the time. >> thank you, brooke. >> thank you, brooke. >> thank you. just ahead here on cnn, we are now getting word that isis is targeting more hostages. find out in which countries. >>> plus murder charges in the case of the student from the university of virginia hannah graham. hear why prosecutors are sure jesse matthew is her killer. >>> and police in ferguson missouri trying out a new device on their guns. it's a device we're told that isn't actually designed to kill. see how that works coming up. major: here's our new trainer ensure active heart health. heart: i maximize good stuff like my potassium and phytosterols which may help lower cholesterol. new ensure active heart health supports your heart and body so you stay active and strong. ensure, take life in. >>> you're watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. we now know the man suspected in the death of university of virginia college student hannah graham has officially been charged. he's jesse matthew. he's be

joining me now are austin tice's parents, debra and marc. we want to thank you for taking the time to be here. i guess the first question i would ask is who, if anyone in the obama administration is in touch with you, and what have they been able to tell you so far about who they think might be holding your son? >> well we've been in touch with the state department since very early on. in the earliest days of when we realized austin was missing. and the government will tell us very little. we know that we would like for them to tell us more. so we've been in contact, and certainly we were in contact with the fbi for the first couple of years. we were in contact with them very regularly. so it hasn't been a lack of contact. it's really been a lack of communication. >> and what are you calling for specifically in your petition to the president? >> well what we've come to understand, joy, in the course of this 2 1/2 years is that governments, and that's who we're dealing with the u.s. government and the syrian government respond to encouragemen

. >> reporter: debra and mark tice last spoke to their son austin two and a half years ago.repared are you for the possibility that austin might not come back? >> we don't peck slate. >> no reason to prepare for that. no. >> no. >> we are preparing for him to come home. >> reporter: these are the last images of austin, his parents say they have seen. >> what leads you to believe that austin is still alive? >> we get -- you know, credible messages from credible as far source that his we can never trace back to their origin. you know, that austin is alive. that he's safe. >> people, you know, have no reason to lie to us as far as we can sell. >> reporter: and they give you proof of that? >> no. no. >> we haven't seen any. >> we haven't seen any. >> reporter: frustrated the tiresestireses are launching the free austin tice campaign. asking people to post photos of themselves blind folded. what does this signify? >> when journalists are captive we are all blind folded. >> reporter: they are collecting signatures for this petition calling on president obama to do more. >> we want

. >> reporter: debra and mark tice last spoke to their son austin. two and a half years ago. he was reporting on the war in syria when suddenly he disappeared. >> how prepared were you that austin wouldn't come back? >> to reason to prepare for that. we are preparing for him to come home. >> austin grew up in houston the oldest of seven children. his parents say he learned survival skills as an eagle scout. after leaving the service he went to georgetown law school but he took a break in 2012 to tell stories that most media were ignoring. fighting reports about both the government and the freerms he met. free syrian army he met. then on august 11th, 2012, his birthday, austin posted what turned out to be his last tweet. spent the day at an free syrian army party they even brought my whiskey. hands down, best birthday ever. and soon after this picture of him is posted with a blindfold. this is the last picture of austin that his parents have seen. >> what makes you believe he is alive? >> we get credible sources we can nfer never trace back to their origin that austin is live,

his parents, debra and mark tice are joining me. i appreciate you taking the time to join us.ideo, which i know you have seen we've shown our viewers from august 2012 what is the most recent information that you have had about austin? >> well the video is the last and the only concrete information we've had about austin. the message in the video is austin tice is alive. we take that to heart. we have no reason to believe anything other than that he is still alive. >> and what was he hoping to accomplish in syria? debra, why was he there? >> austin went to syria to the tell the story of the people that were affected by the conflict there in an urban environment which always means that innocent women and children will be involved in the fighting. >> and mark i know you said -- that video shows that he's alive. you've heard nothing to the contrary. i know you have been extremely frustrated with the u.s. government in terms of what they have been able to tell you, what they have shared with you, what they have done. what exactly do you want them to do to help you right now, to hel