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News Of Freedom Thrills Family Of Colombia Hostage

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The children of freed hostage Keith Stansell, Kyle and Lauren, talk with the media Wedneseday night.

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The Associated Press

Published: July 2, 2008

BOGOTA, Colombia — The family of one of the hostages the Colombian military rescued from leftist rebels Wednesday says they're excited he's coming home.

Keith Stansell was rescued along with former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, two U.S. military contractors and 11 other hostages.

"If you told me this morning that my dad was coming home, I would never believe you in a million years," said his 16-year-old son, Kyle.

His ex-wife Kelly said she received a call from the government asking her not to speak to the media until he is back in the states.

His family said they have not received any word on when Stansell will return the U.S.

During the former Marine's captivity, Kyle Stansell traveled to South America to plead for his father's release. Wednesday, he was with friends at the beach when he heard the news from his stepfather. Kyle just started running for his car.

"I just want to see my dad so bad," he said. "I'm not getting any sleep tonight."

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos says no one was hurt in the operation in eastern Colombia.

He said army commandos captured rebels manning a security ring around the hostages and got them to persuade their comrades to turn over the captives, without any loss of life.

"He's safe, that's all I care about," Kyle Stansell said.

Santos says the other 11 hostages freed were Colombian soldiers and police.

Betancourt, Americans Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Stansell, and the other hostages were taken to a military base.

Stansell was doing drug surveillance for the Department of Defense when the plane crashed in February 2003. Authorities said four other men were traveling with him when they went down in a remote, mountainous region of the country's capital, Bogota.

In Paris, Betancourt's son Lorenzo Delloye-Betancourt called her release after six years of captivity, "if true, the most beautiful news of my life."

News Channel 8 reporters Samara Sodos and Katie Coronado contributed to this report.

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