PHOENIX — Just one day after Kayla Mueller’s accused ISIS captors were extradited to the United States and a day after her death by terrorists became a talking point in the Vice Presidential debate, Gov. Doug Ducey is making a point to honor the Prescott humanitarian.
Ducey, along with Kayla's parents Carl and Marsha, unveiled a portrait in her honor Thursday.
“As Kayla Mueller showed us, sometimes the greatest heroes wear no uniform at all," he said, before unveiling the tribute.
The portrait will be on display at the Arizona State Capitol building. It shows a painting of a 2019 military mission made in Mueller's memory, along with her photo.
That raid would ultimately kill Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who records say sexually assaulted Mueller while she was a hostage.
Mueller, from Prescott, was working as an aid worker when she was captured by ISIS fighters in 2013. She was held hostage for almost two years before she was reported dead in 2015.
Her body has never been recovered.
Mueller's story became a talking point in the vice presidential debate Wednesday night, a platform for Vice President Mike Pence to share the Trump administration's role in helping Mueller's family.
The Muellers have been outspoken about their support for the Trump administration, saying the Obama administration did too little to help bring Mueller home alive.
Mueller parents flew back to Phoenix for the event on Air Force Two with Pence after attending the debate with him Wednesday night. The debate came just hours before the family got an update on their daughter's case.
"The overwhelming feeling I had," said Marsha Mueller. "I thought I was going to have to stop the car. It was just amazing."
The Department of Justice announced Wednesday morning that two of the terrorists accused of capturing and torturing their daughter Kayla are now in FBI custody.
El Shafee Elshiekh and Alexanda Kotey are each facing eight charges connected to terrorism, including conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens.
The men were extradited to Virginia on Wednesday after they were held by the U.S. military in Iraq for more than a year.
The DOJ wanted to extradite and charge El Shafee Elshiekh and Alexanda Kotey sooner, but say they were stalled without evidence from Britain.
It's evidence British officials would give only if the U.S. took the death penalty off the table.
"Our main goal is to get Kayla home," said her father. "We’re hoping that those two know something about what happened to Kayla."
