[kcvl]

West Chester, Pennsylvania -- They knew he had been beheaded. But members of Nick Berg's family say they didn't want his fate to become public.

Berg's decapitation was shown in a video posted on the Web site of an Islamic militant group.

Just before his apparent execution, Berg reads a statement mentioning his parents, brother and sister, and that he lives in Philadelphia. His executioners said he was killed to avenge the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers. His body was found Saturday on a highway overpass in Baghdad.

Michael Berg says his 26-year-old son was a small-business owner from suburban Philadelphia. Suzanne Berg said her son had gone to Iraq thinking he could help rebuild the country.

[Howlin]

But members of Nick Berg's family say they didn't want his fate to become public.

I can understand that. It's bad enough to have lost a child, but to have this HORROR known to the entire world must be unbearable.