US officials are looking at the possibility that hostage Kayla Mueller was forced to marry an Islamic State leader before she was killed, according to an unnamed counter-terrorism source.
Earlier this week IS militants claimed she had been killed in a Jordanian airstrike, and provided photographic evidence of her death.
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A counter-terrorism official has since told ABC News that IS did not see Mueller as a "hostage or a bargaining chip". Limited intelligence collected in Syria through satellites and drones suggested that she was sometimes in the company of an IS leader who was being actively tracked by US spies. The IS commander had custody over her, possibly by forced marriage, said the source.
"The group has often been accused of using female prisoners to reward its fighters," says The Times. "Christian and Yazidi women who escaped confirmed the practice and claimed that it also ran slave markets for the sale of female captives."
However, the White House National Security Council has said the reports are "speculative and unproven at this time", adding that it has not shared details regarding Mueller's time in captivity out of respect for her family.
"The US Government continues to analyse any information regarding Kayla's captivity but has not corroborated any of the multiple theories regarding the conditions throughout the duration of her captivity," it said.
The Pentagon claims there is "no doubt" Islamic State killed Mueller. However, it has also confirmed that the weapons storage building in which militants claimed she had died was indeed struck last week.
In a letter to her family early last year, Mueller said she was being treated with "respect" and "kindness". She signed off the letter saying: "Do not fear for me, continue to pray as will I and by God's will we will be together soon. All my everything, Kayla."
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