An American college student who went missing while studying abroad in France is alive in Spain, his family and authorities said Friday.
A spokesman for the Grenoble public prosecutor’s office said prosecutor Eric Vaillant told French media that Ken Deland Jr. was able to talk to his parents.
The family said on a website dedicated to finding DeLand that he called them Friday morning. His mother, Carol Laws, is in France “preparing to see Kenny and hopefully bring him home for Christmas,” they said. Law confirmed to NBC News that he had spoken to his son but did not provide further details.
On the website, the family thanked the news outlets, saying: “Without the help of the media, Kenny would not have found himself in the news.”
Deland was reported missing last month while studying at the University of Grenoble Alpes in France, his family said in an earlier post on the website. They said they last heard from DeLand on November 27 via WhatsApp, text messages, and a calling app.
The 22-year-old teenager went to class on November 28, his family said. The next day, he left his host family’s home and boarded a train to Valence, France, with a small bag containing his cell phone, food, wallet, and a change of clothes.
The family said on the website that DeLand’s phone rang on November 30 at the Valence train station, and a few days later, on December 3, he bought a sporting goods store.
DeLand is a student at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York. His study program was to end on Saturday, and his visa expires in January.
His family previously said on the website that DeLand “struggled to fit in and make friends” when he first arrived in France, but eventually “made great connections.”
“It is important to note that Kane has friends in France, and they are the ones who reported him missing school and continue to show support and check in for updates on Kane,” they said.
The disappearance was investigated by the Grenoble public prosecutor’s office, which previously said Deland had told people he was “insufficiently prepared” for the trip. He left Grenoble voluntarily, the office said.