Officials have confirmed that a New York college student has been found alive in Spain after he was reported missing in France last month.
The family of Kenneth DeLand, 21, who attends St. John Fisher University, said he was studying abroad at the University Grenoble Alpes in Grenoble, France, when he was last heard from on Nov. 28.
Grenoble public prosecutor Eric Vaillant wrote in a statement on Twitter that DeLand was located in Spain and spoke with his parents on Friday morning. DeLand’s family did not respond to requests for comments, and no additional details have been provided at this time.
DeLand attended classes at the University Grenoble Alpes on Nov. 28. The next day, university officials in Grenoble filed a missing person’s report for DeLand with French officials and notified his parents that he had disappeared.
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The family’s website said DeLand had appeared “normal and happy” when he attended classes, and while he struggled to fit in at first, he had since made “great connections.”
“It is vital to note Ken has friends in France, and they are the ones who initially reported him missing to the school and continue to show support and check in for updates on Ken,” the website read. “We all have the same mission: wanting Ken to return safely.”
The family learned later that day that Ken had spoken with a neighbor and was in “bright spirits” before he departed his host family’s home. He had left his computer, tablet, train pass, and phone charger at the home but packed a sandwich, clothing, his wallet, and his cellphone in a bag.
His phone had last pinged at the Valence train station on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. local time — around a 2 1/2-hour ride from Grenoble. His bank records and video surveillance indicated that he made a purchase at Decathlon Sporting Goods in Montelimar, France, on Dec. 3.
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If he had attempted to leave France using a train, his passport would have pinged, per the family’s website. It is unclear how he traveled from France to Spain.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
