American student who disappeared from Grenoble located in Spain

The 22-year-old American student who went missing from Grenoble at the end of November has been located in Spain, from where he has been in contact with his parents.

This was confirmed by Grenoble’s public prosecutor’s office this afternoon (December 16).

“We have just learnt that the young Kenneth DeLand was able to get in touch with his parents today. It seems that he is in Spain,” the office stated, adding that “no problems” had been reported as to Mr DeLand’s health. However, it did not share any further details.

The office announced on Monday (December 12) that it was opening an investigation into the “worrying disappearance” of the student, after it was reported by his classmates at the Université de Grenoble that he had not attended classes on November 29.

Read more: American student missing after French language studies in Grenoble

His host family did not see him after that date either.

The public prosecutor’s office stated that he had “left Grenoble voluntarily”, and his parents said that he had previously talked about wanting to “travel to Marseille before heading back to the US.”

In the last video posted on his TikTok account, Mr DeLand listed the things he wanted for Christmas as: “more friends,” “no depression”.

His father said that his phone had not been active since November 30, and he was last seen in a Décathlon store in Montélimar on December 3.

His parents launched a website called FindKenDeLand.com, and his disappearance was reported in the American and French press.

On the website, his parents had stated: “Initially, Ken struggled to fit in and make friends abroad. However, he continued to remain positive and made great connections.”

However, now a statement on the Find Ken DeLand website reads: “Kenny has been found. [...] Thank you to everyone for helping us bring Kenny home!”

Mr DeLand was due to return to the US tomorrow (December 17), and his visa runs out on January 20.