Parents Seek Answers as Son Detained in Congo Following Failed Coup Attempt

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The parents of 21-year-old Tyler Thompson, one of three Americans detained after a failed attack on the presidential palace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, anxiously await news of their son's fate from their home in a Salt Lake City suburb.

Thompson traveled to Africa in early April with his former high school football teammate, Marcel Malanga, for what his family believed was an all-expenses-paid vacation funded by Marcel's father, Christian Malanga.

However, Congolese officials say Christian Malanga, who claimed to be president of a shadow government in exile, led a brazen attack on the presidential palace in Kinshasa on May 19 and was killed in a shootout. The Congolese government has not clarified whether Thompson was among those arrested or killed, but a video circulating on social media shows him surrounded by Congolese soldiers, hands clasped tightly and a frightened look on his bloodied face. He and Marcel Malanga are seen being forced to their feet as soldiers tie their hands behind their backs.

The Congolese army reported that the eccentric coup leader was shot dead after resisting arrest. In total, six people were killed and dozens arrested following the attacks on the presidential palace and the residence of President Félix Tshisekedi's close ally, Vital Kamerhe, according to Congolese army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge.

U.S. embassy spokesperson in Congo, Monica Shie, said Thursday that they have yet to gain access to the American prisoners and do not know when they will appear in court.

As weeks pass without proof of life, Tyler’s parents worry he may have succumbed to illness—he contracted malaria earlier in the trip—or could have brain damage from the blows seen in the videos. They are urgently seeking a credible lawyer in Congo while urging U.S. officials to consider him wrongfully detained.

“We need the people in the embassy to push harder,” Tyler’s stepfather, Jason Higbee, said in an interview with The Associated Press at the family's home in West Jordan, Utah.

The family has also sought help from Utah's elected leaders, including their governor and senators, but a foreign affairs expert noted that the State Department tends to be conservative in intervening for U.S. citizens accused of serious crimes. The offices of Senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Jared Genser, an international human rights lawyer who has represented Americans imprisoned abroad, said Tyler, Marcel, and the third American prisoner, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, are unlikely to return home soon. “I can’t imagine any scenario in the near term where the U.S. government would be advocating for their release,” Genser said. “Unless the narrative changes dramatically, the U.S. is going to say this isn’t a case we can get involved in.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the attack and offered to assist Congo in its investigation. The failed coup attempt came at a challenging time for Tshisekedi’s ruling party, with the national assembly voting Kamerhe in as speaker days after the attack, a crucial step to forming a government after the December election.

Tyler’s family insists he had no knowledge of Christian Malanga's intentions, no plans for political activism, and no intention of entering Congo—he was meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, according to his stepmother, Miranda Thompson.

The Thompsons hope Tyler can be tried as an individual, separate from Marcel or the others. Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, maintains her son's innocence, saying he simply followed his father. She has not responded to multiple interview requests.

At the family home, Tyler’s parents and stepparents shared moments of hope and concern, passing around a tissue box. His 6-year-old brother, Miles, dressed in a superhero costume, assured them he was assembling a team of superheroes to bring his brother home.

Rebecca Higbee recalled receiving many happy photos and phone calls from her son earlier in the trip and had no reason to suspect anything other than a normal vacation. She even researched Christian Malanga online, believing he seemed like a "great guy."

“I honestly thought it was going to be a great growing experience for him," she said. Now, it's “every mom’s nightmare.”

The family’s home is filled with reminders of their party planning business, which Tyler and Marcel worked for, with disco balls, piñatas, and tanks of helium scattered around. Tyler had plans to open his own construction company upon his return from Africa, said his father, Tyler Thompson Sr. His greatest fear is that his son won't get to live out those dreams.