Government Official: Kayla Mueller Possibly 'Paired' With Islamic State Fighter

Deceased American hostage Kayla Mueller may have been paired with a male Islamic State fighter while in captivity, anonymous government officials announced this week.

The Islamic State announced last week that 26-year-old Mueller, an aid worker who was kidnapped in Syria in 2013, had died when a Jordan-led airstrike shelled the building she was being kept in in Raqqa.

This week, both the White House and Mueller's Phoenix-based family confirmed the aid worker had perished while in captivity, but had not confirmed the cause of her death.

Now, an anonymous government official told CNN that after receiving more information from Mueller's death, it is possible that the aid worker had been paired up as a sort of "bride" to an Islamic State fighter. The official said it was unclear if Mueller was coerced, forced or sold into the pairing.

The U.S. has vowed to continue investigating Mueller's death and avenge her death and other American hostages' deaths who have perished at the hands of the Islamic State organization.

Obama said in a statement from the White House that Mueller "represents what is best about America, and expressed her deep pride in the freedoms that we Americans enjoy, and that so many others strive for around the world."

"No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla's captivity and death," the president added.

Mueller's parents added in a statement that they "are so proud of the person Kayla was and the work that she did while she was here with us. She lived with purpose."