The Islamic State is not above publicly showing gruesome images of the hostages they have taken and killed.
The Mueller family found out their daughter, Kayla Mueller, was dead from an email from IS containing an image of their daughter’s lifeless body. Intelligence agencies analyzed the photo and determined that it was real. The agencies also determined that the death was recent but could not determine an exact date.
IS is standing by the story that Kayla was killed by a Jordanian airstrike. The airstrike was targeting a weapons depot, and it is unclear if IS knew that the depot would be targeted by the Jordan Royal Air Force.