Keith Stansell's family meets with President Chavez

Kyle Stansell, son of Keith Stansell, is pictured fourth from right; his mother, Lynne is third from left and his father, Gene, beside her. The small child in front is Tommy Howes' oldest son (his dad is also one of the hostages).

In September of this year, Keith Stansell's son, Kyle, and his parents, Lynne and Gene Stansell, flewto Caracas, Venezuela, to meet with President Hugo Chavez.

Keith Stansell has been held hostage in Bogota, Co- lombia, since February of 2003, when the plane he was flying went down with two other Americans on board. They were captured by the FARC and have been held ever since.

After meeting with President Chavez, they flew to Bogota, Colombia, to meet the U.S. Ambassador William Woodard and then went to New York where they met with Colombian President Uribe.

The Venezuelan dictator Chavez was supposed to meet with the FARC on October 8 to try to help broker a deal for hostage exchange.

For the trip, Kyle wore one of his dad's jackets to the meeting. Kyle stands 6'5'' and weighs 200 pounds. He is now 15 years old.

Everyone was very optimistic about the trip and possible negotiations, but since that time the Colombian president and the Venezuelan president have had a conflict,and all efforts have ceased.

This new proof of life is again giving hope that there may be a resolution to this heart-breaking situation in the near future.