Kenny DeLand Jr: Missing NY student, 22, studying abroad struggled to fit in and make friends
GRENOBLE, FRANCE: The college student from upstate New York who vanished while abroad in France claimed he was having trouble making friends and that he felt "insufficiently prepared" for life in Europe. After leaving his host family's home for a train to Valence, France, on November 27, St John Fisher University student Kenny "Ken" DeLand Jr last spoke with his parents via WhatsApp.
His phone has not pinged even once since November 30, reported New York Post. According to a Grenoble prosecutor looking into the issue, DeLand was enrolled at the University of Grenoble Alpes but was allegedly having trouble adjusting. The official reported that the 22-year-old expressed regret over being "insufficiently prepared" to live in France and about lacking companions. In an effort to raise awareness, DeLand's parents have set up a website. They are frantically attempting to locate him. “Initially, Ken struggled to fit in and make friends abroad,” his family wrote on a website dedicated to finding him. DeLand "appears to have left Grenoble voluntarily," according to the prosecutor's office's statement. “He also mentioned that he wanted to go to Marseille before returning to the United States.”
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