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NY College Student Reported Missing During Study Abroad Trip Is Alive in Spain: Officials

Ken DeLand Jr. was reported missing while studying abroad at the University Grenoble Alpes in France

Lights on a police car, Jan. 27, 2022.
NBC

An American college student who was reported missing during a study abroad trip in France is alive in Spain, his family and officials said Friday.

A spokesperson for the Grenoble public prosecutor’s office said prosecutor Eric Vaillant told French media that Ken DeLand Jr. had been able to speak with his parents.

The family said on a website dedicated to finding DeLand that he called them early Friday morning. His mother, Carol Laws, is in France "preparing to see Kenny and hopefully bring him home for Christmas," they said. Laws confirmed to NBC News that she had talked to her son but did not provide further details.

On the website, the family thanked news outlets, saying: "Without the media’s help, Kenny would not have seen himself in the news."

DeLand was reported missing last month while studying at the University Grenoble Alpes in France, his family said in an older post on the website. They said at the time that they had last heard from DeLand on Nov. 27 via WhatsApp, a text message and calling app.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

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