The American university student reported missing late last month while studying abroad in France has been found in Spain, according to authorities and a statement from his family.
Kenny DeLand is a senior at St. John Fisher University who was attending the University of Grenoble Alpes for the fall semester, WHAM-TV reported. Previously, his family said they last heard from him via the WhatsApp messaging app on Nov. 27. Two days later, a missing person report was filed after he failed to attend classes.
In a post Friday on a website dedicated to the search for DeLand, family members confirmed that he had been found safe.
“We received a call from Kenny in the early morning hours on December 16, 2022,” the statement said. “Kenny is in Spain, and Carol (his mom) is in France, preparing to see Kenny and hopefully bring him home for Christmas.”
The family thanked the public and the media for helping to spread the story of DeLand’s disappearance. They added that DeLand saw himself in the news.
“Without everyone’s help, we wouldn’t have our Son, hopefully, home Christmas,” they said.
In a statement posted on social media, French prosecutor Eric Vaillant confirmed that DeLand spoke Friday with his parents and that he was found in Spain. Previously, Vaillant said that the university student was having a difficult time living in France and that he had shared that he wanted to leave early, ABC News reported. He had been scheduled to leave France on Dec. 15, according to the news station.
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