Family and Friends Hail “Christmas Miracle” as Missouri Man Rescued in Syria After 7 Months
A Missouri man, Travis Timmerman, who went missing in May and was later determined to be in Syria, has been rescued after being imprisoned in the country for about seven months. Timmerman, 29, was identified by his sister, Pixie Rogers, as the man who appeared in a video saying he was in Damascus on a “pilgrimage.”
Timmerman’s family was initially unaware of his plans to travel to Syria, and his mother, Stacey Collins Gardiner, said her son had previously indicated he was going to travel to Prague and Hungary.
The family had not heard from Timmerman for about three years after he stopped calling, but just learned he was in Lebanon and being held by the Syrian government. Authorities in Missouri and Budapest put out a missing persons report for a man named Pete Timmerman, who was later found to be Timmerman in a video saying he was in Damascus on a pilgrimage.
Timmerman told reporters he was stopped by Syrian officials after crossing into the country on foot and was imprisoned for months before being released by rebel forces and then found wandering the streets barefoot. He was eventually found by a local resident and with the help of NBC News and other outlets.
Timmerman’s family and friends are relieved and thankful for his safe return, with his sister calling it a “Christmas miracle.” “We’re very blessed that he is safe, that he is good, that he is protected,” she said. “And I saw on the news that he got fed.”