1 year ago
99
An American assemblage pupil has been reported missing by his household portion studying overseas successful France.
The parents of 22-year-old Ken DeLand Jr. person acceptable up a website successful an effort to stock accusation astir their son, who they accidental has been missing since past month.
They accidental they past heard from their son, known arsenic Kenny, connected Nov. 27 erstwhile helium was boarding a bid to Valence successful southeast France.
The household says they “fear the worst and privation him to beryllium located.”
DeLand Jr. was studying astatine the University Grenoble Alpes successful France done a survey overseas program. On Sunday, Nov. 27, helium near his big family’s residence and was headed to Valence, a two-hour bid thrust from Grenoble, according to the website acceptable up by his household successful the U.S. His household says they past spoke to him via messaging work WhatsApp and person not heard from him since.
His survey programme was expected to extremity connected Dec. 17 and his visa expires aboriginal adjacent year, they accidental connected the website.
Grenoble's nationalist authoritative said successful a connection that it had opened an probe pursuing a study connected Nov. 29 "by students, of the disturbing disappearance of a 21-year-old American pupil who had travel to Grenoble to survey French."
"The young antheral reportedly told respective radical that helium had arrived successful France insufficiently prepared and that helium had trouble making friends," the connection said. "He appears to person near Grenoble voluntarily," it added, noting that "He besides mentioned that helium wanted to spell to Marseille earlier returning to the United States."
DeLand Jr. had been successful “constant communication” with his household portion successful France, his father, besides named Ken DeLand, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” successful an interrogation that aired Monday morning.
DeLand Jr. was past seen making a acquisition astatine 9 a.m. connected Dec. 3, 2022. Ken DeLand / Facebook“He would scope retired to maine astir daily, sometimes each different day,” the begetter said.
“Kenny’s a friendly, outgoing assemblage student, a young man,” helium added. “He loves to travel. So, this travel has been thing that he’s truly looked guardant to and enjoyed.”
The backstage St. John Fisher University successful Rochester, New York confirmed that DeLand Jr. was a pupil there.
The University told NBC News that it volition proceed to bash each it tin to assistance successful the investigations to find DeLand Jr. University officials were successful “close contact” with the survey overseas agency, American Institute for Foreign Study, which is moving with French instrumentality enforcement connected the search, a assemblage spokesperson said.
“Our field assemblage remains hopeful that Kenneth volition beryllium recovered harmless and instrumentality home,” the spokesperson added.
The AIFS said that it "joins others acrophobic for his information and we are moving with section instrumentality enforcement who person begun a search. We person been successful interaction with Kenneth’s household and assemblage and we are hoping for his swift and harmless return."
DeLand Jr.’s household said they had filed a missing idiosyncratic study with French police, meaning that authorities would beryllium notified if helium were to committee a bid oregon formation to permission France utilizing his passport.
A surveillance camera captured DeLand Jr. entering a sports store successful Montelimar successful southeast France connected Dec. 3, wherever helium made a acquisition for $8.40, according to the parents.
DeLand Jr.’s Facebook leafage shows photos and videos from his caller travels successful France but has been inactive since Nov. 19, 8 days earlier his household says they past heard from him.
He is astir 6 ft gangly and weighs 190 lbs. He was past seen wearing a reddish jacket, scarf, grey beanie, bluish jeans/slacks, achromatic backpack, and sneakers, according to the website acceptable up by the family.
English (US)