The parents of an American journalist detained in Myanmar have a message for local authorities: Release him now, CNN reported.

"It's a total nightmare; it's a total feeling of no control. It's heart-wrenching," said Rose Fenster, mother of Frontier Myanmar editor Danny Fenster, on CNN's "Reliable Sources" Sunday. "I just want my son home no matter what it takes. Please release him and send him home to his family."

Fenster, 37, was stopped at Yangon airport as he tried to board a flight out of the country last week. He was on his way home to surprise his parents. Fenster is a US citizen from Detroit.