Molly Long has one singular focus right now: getting her older brother Dennis released from Taliban custody.
Dennis Coyle, who lives in Pueblo and works in Kabul, Afghanistan, is a linguist researcher and has been traveling to and from Afghanistan for around 20 years.
“He's got a heart for people, and using his intelligence in ways that better the communities around and people who are in very difficult living circumstances,” Long, his youngest sister, said. “So it complemented the essence of who Dennis is.”
The 64-year-old Coyle was arrested by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence more than a year ago. He has not been charged with any crimes and has been living in almost solitary confinement, according to Long. The arrest happened about a week after the Taliban released two U.S. hostages as part of a prisoner swap.
Like Coyle, one of the Americans had been doing business in Afghanistan for years and had not been charged by the Taliban.
It was a missed call on Jan. 27, 2025, that made Dennis Coyle’s family nervous.
“He had missed a standing phone call with our mother and she knew something was wrong because I don't believe he's ever missed a phone call without a follow-up text or an explanation. And when we heard nothing, we were concerned something had happened,” she said. “We lost all contact with him, and six months into his detainment we received a letter (from Dennis). And the first time we ever heard his voice was nine months into his detainment.”
Long said the family, as ordinary Americans, has had to navigate a political and complex situation.
“It’s extremely emotional for us as a family, but most importantly, our 83-year-old mother, it's been a full year that she has lost contact with her son. And as this continues on, we realize time is not on our side,” Long said.
It’s part of the reason the family decided to speak more publicly about Coyle’s detainment, which is something families are often encouraged not to do.
“As a family, we lived in fear of this, being that there would be repercussions. And then we've progressed to the point that if we go public and vocal that we're going to get him out,” Long said.
And they’ve made some progress. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Coyle wrongfully detained under the Levinson Act, ensuring the case gets needed expertise and resources.
President Donald Trump was even asked about the case in an interview with News Nation’s Katie Pavlich.
“I’m not happy about them holding anybody. And especially if he’s not guilty of anything,” Trump told Pavlich. Trump added, “I will certainly take a very strong position on it.”
A White House official noted that the administration is working “relentlessly” to bring Coyle home. Getting wrongfully detained Americans back has been a priority for Trump.
Long said the family is grateful for the federal government’s response, including those from Pueblo-area Rep. Jeff Hurd, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, Colorado Springs Rep. Jeff Crank and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s office.
“The local representation has come in and supported us as a family, worked with us, taken meetings and helped us learn to navigate additionally on the federal level. And all of those representatives have engaged on a federal level as well,” Long said. “It's just very meaningful that everyone in the higher up of the federal government dealing with this has conveyed to us Dennis is not just a case, but they see him and our family and are working with us to get him out.”
