An American student reported missing on a study abroad trip to France has been reunited with his mother and is returning to the United States, authorities said Saturday.
Ken DeLand Jr. “He is currently in Lyon with his mother and they should be flying to the United States together later today,” Grenoble prosecutor Eric Vaillant said in a statement Saturday.
De Land vanished last month, but on Friday morning, he made touch with his Spanish parents. On a webpage devoted to his search, his family stated that Kenny’s mother, Carol Laws, was there “to see Kenny and maybe bring him home for Christmas.”
Ken DeLand was reported missing last month while studying at the University of Grenoble Alpes in France, his family said in an old post on the website. At the time, they said they last heard from Ken DeLand on November 2. 27 through WhatsApp, an app for texting and calling.
On November 28, the 22-year-old attended class, according to his relatives. He left his host family’s house the following morning and took a train to Valence, France, with a tiny suitcase including his cell phone, food, and clean clothing.
Ken DeLand’s phone pinged on November 1, 2018, at the Valence railway station, according to the family’s website. A few days later, on December 3, he made a transaction at a sports goods shop.
DeLand attends St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York. His study program was due to finish on Saturday and his visa expires in January.
Who is Ken DeLand?
On the website, the family thanked the news on Friday, saying, “Without the media’s help, Kenny wouldn’t have been seen in the news.”
Ken DeLand first “had a hard time fitting in and establishing friends” in France, but finally “established solid relationships,” according to prior statements on the website.
It is crucial to remember that Ken has friends in France, who reported him missing from school in the first place, are still checking on him and offering assistance, according to what they say. Grenoble prosecutors looked into the disappearance after DeLand allegedly admitted to others that he wasn’t “sufficiently prepared” for the journey. According to the office, it seems like he departed Grenoble freely. The details of his disappearance are unclear.
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