The American college student who disappeared while studying abroad in France was “not sufficiently prepared” for life abroad and may have left voluntarily, according to a French prosecutor.
Ken DeLand Jr., a senior at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York, last contacted his parents on Nov. 27 on the WhatsApp messaging app after leaving his host family home to catch a train for Valencia, France. His phone was last pinged on November 30th.
Grenoble prosecutor Eric Vaillant said in a statement to French media that DeLand appears to have left the city voluntarily after having trouble making friends.
The 22-year-old student was studying French at the University of Grenoble Alpes.
KEN DELAND MISSING: AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT WHO DISAPPEARED IN FRANCE WHILE STUDYING ABROAD
A French prosecutor investigating the disappearance of American college student Ken DeLand said he may have left voluntarily after having difficulty making friends.
(findkendeland.com)
Vaillant said DeLand had expressed a desire to leave early for the city of Marseilles before returning home to the United States. He was to leave France on December 15th.
DeLand’s family launched a website in hopes of getting hints as to where he might be.
“Initially, Ken struggled to adjust and make friends abroad,” the family wrote. “However, he continued to remain positive and made excellent contacts. We learned that he had told friends in the US and France that he wanted to travel to Marseilles before returning home.”
The website said DeLand was last seen wearing a red jacket, scarf, gray cap, blue pants, black backpack and sneakers.
The family said he is about 6 feet tall and 190 pounds. They also provided a photograph from a surveillance camera of him walking inside a sporting goods store on Dec. 3.
KEN DELAND: THE DAD OF AN AMERICAN COLLEGE WHO DISAPPEARED IN FRANCE WARNS OTHER PARENTS TO STUDY ABROAD
DeLand is last seen wearing a red jacket, scarf, gray cap, blue pants, black backpack, and sneakers.
(findkendeland.com)
“We fear the worst and want it located,” the family’s website reads.
According to French authorities, DeLand was reported missing on Nov. 29 after not attending class or being seen by friends or his host family, prompting an investigation into his disappearance.
Classmates who saw him on campus the day before said he looked normal and happy, the family’s website said.
DeLand’s bank authorized police to trace his purchases after learning of his disappearance. He made an $8.40 purchase at a store at 9 a.m. Dec. 3 in the city of Montelimar, according to his bank statement.
She was learning abroad through the study abroad program called the American Institute for Foreign Study, which she said “joins others concerned about her safety, and we’re working with local law enforcement who have launched an investigation.” .
DeLand was reported missing on November 29 after not attending class or being seen by friends or his host family, prompting an investigation into his disappearance.
(findkendeland.com)
“We have been in contact with Kenneth’s family and university and hope for his safe and speedy return,” AIFS said in a statement.
The reports the family received through its website were forwarded to the FBI, which is assisting international authorities in the investigation through its Paris office.
The US State Department said it was “aware of reports of a missing US citizen in France”.
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“When a U.S. citizen goes missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts and share information with families as we can,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The State Department has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad. We stand ready to provide appropriate assistance to needy US citizens and their families.”
