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Kenny DeLand Jr., who went missing in France in November 2022, was located alive in Spain. According to his father, the 22-year-old American was pursuing French at the University of Grenoble Alpes in France when he went missing.
Speaking to him during an interview with CNN on Friday, Kenny DeLand Jr.'s father, Ken DeLand Sr., said:
"He is alive — that’s all I can say."
French prosecutor Eric Vaillant confirmed the news but refused to elaborate further on DeLand Jr.'s exact location. No explanation for his disappearance has been provided by the authorities or his family.
According to CNN, Ken DeLand Sr. was on a call when he received information about his missing son. He later got in touch with CNN to report the "good news" and said he had just spoken with him.
Kenny DeLand Jr.'s last communication with his family was on November 27, and investigators believe he had left voluntarily.
Kenny DeLand Jr., who went off the grid for more than two weeks, was located in Spain
New York student Kenny DeLand Jr., studying French in France, last messaged his parents on November 27, 2022. He was reported missing by his fellow students on November 29, which prompted French prosecutor Eric Vaillant to launch an investigation.
The Rochester student was scheduled to return to the US on Saturday. DeLand Jr.'s host in France said that it was possible that the student, who was not fluent in French, had gone off the grid voluntarily, a theory that prosecutor Vaillant supported. His parents, however, do not find the theory credible. Though Kenny DeLand Jr. loved to go on hikes, he would always be in touch with his family in the US.
On Wednesday, before he was found, DeLand Jr.'s father told CNN:
"For him to not reach out, with no correspondence, this is very uncharacteristic of my son. This is what creates all the worry that any parent could ever feel."
DeLand Jr.'s parents launched a website to gain more information about their son. The website contains details of when they last communicated with him. He was reportedly spotted at a store in the town of Montélimar, roughly a 90-mile drive southwest of Grenoble, where DeLand lived.
According to Eric Vaillant, the American student reportedly wanted to go to Marseille before his return. He also said on Monday,
"The young man reportedly told several people that he had arrived in France underprepared and was having difficulty making friends."
The woman who hosted Kenny DeLand Jr. also told CNN that he seemed to have trouble fitting in.
