DALLAS — On his 971st day in captivity in Russia, American Trevor Reed got another day in court to seek his release.
But his appeal to be released from prison was remanded to a lower court on Tuesday morning, and no decision was made.
John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, said he was "very disappointed that justice has again been denied."
Reed, 30, has been detained on charges that American officials have called absurd since 2019. His family also says his health is declining.
U.S. officials believe Reed was imprisoned on trumped-up charges and was solely picked up as a bargaining chip for a future prisoner swap with America.
The hearing Tuesday was held at the Second Court of General Cassation in Moscow and happened at 2 a.m. in Texas, where his parents in Granbury were hoping for a positive development in his saga.
Reed's parents, Joey and Paula, joined WFAA Daybreak on Tuesday morning to give their reaction to the latest developments in their son's case.
"Realistically, the only way he is coming home any time soon is a negotiation between governments," Joey Reed said. "They've taken him for trade and that's what they want."
Paula Reed expressed concern for her son's health after seeing an image of him appearing in court via video Tuesday. While he said in court that he's not currently coughing up blood and doesn't have a fever -- both issues he's reportedly been battling in recent months -- Paula Reed said her son's condition "looks terrible."
"We're really concerned," she said, "because he looks thin. He just doesn't look like himself."
The hearing was intended to determine if Trevor Reed received a fair trial, not if he was innocent or guilty, his parents said.
On Monday, ahead of their son's hearing, the Reeds vowed to keep fighting for Trevor.
"We'll never give up this fight," Joey Reed said. "We'll be dead. If he's not home, if he's still there, we'll be fighting this fight until we're dead or he's home."
Tuesday's hearing was a return to a Russian appeals court, a three-judge panel that once previously agreed to grant Trevor Reed bail. But as his case has bounced between the Russian Supreme Court and lower courts, he has remained in custody since 2019.
"There's no more was he guilty or innocent," Joey Reed said of the legal arguments that will be made Tuesday in Moscow. "Now it's a matter of did the lower courts follow the law, which they did not. And we will see how politically motivated the three judges are in this court tomorrow."
Two weeks ago, after camping out in front of the White House, Joey and Paula Reed were given a 45-minute meeting with President Joe Biden.
"President Biden was fantastic," Reed said. "We were very hopeful leaving that meeting. That hopefully it is even a higher priority than it was before we met with him, which was our goal."
"We've got to keep his name out there and keep pressure on the administration," Reed said, "to do something for not only him but all the other Americans around the world who are in this same situation," he said in reference to Americans Paul Whelan and WNBA star Brittney Griner.
The family's legal efforts to get their son released continues to receive some of its funding through a GoFundMe site.