The disappearance and then sudden discovery of 22-year-old Ken DeLand Jr has left his parents joyous after a harrowing two weeks worrying what became of their son.
Mr DeLand Jr was found alive, reportedly in Spain, according to his father. Ken DeLand Sr was on a call with CNN when he abruptly hung up. Later he returned with news; he had just spoken with his son, and learned he was in Spain.
Mr DeLand Sr did not elaborate on why he was in Spain or his condition, but a French prosecutor confirmed that the college student had left France, where he was studying abroad, and was alive elsewhere in Europe.
He is now said to be on his way back to the US.
Here’s a timeline of Mr DeLand Jr’s disappearance and abrupt discovery.
28 October
Mr DeLand Jr shared a photo to Facebook at Nikola Tesla Airport during a stopover to Serbia. He was traveling around Europe during a break from his study abroad courses and planned to visit Italy, according to his father. He was taking classes through the University of Grenoble Alpes.
27 November
Mr Deland Jr has his last communication with his family before his disappearance. That day he spoke with his father and his mother, Carol Laws, using the WhatsApp messaging platform. He was staying with a French host family at the time.
28 November
Mr DeLand Jr attended his classes as usual. His classmates who saw him that day said he seemed "normal and happy," according to the DeLand family website, which was established to source information on the college student’s location.
29 November
When Mr Deland Jr failed to return to his host family, university officials filed a missing persons report with French law enforcement and called his parents to inform them of his disappearance. Mr Deland Jr did not attend his classes that day and had not been seen by his friends or host family, according to the family.
The DeLand family learned that on the day he was reported missing, he made himself a sandwich after eating breakfast and packed it away in a bag with a change of clothes, his wallet, and phone. When he left, he reportedly left all of his other belongings at his host family’s home. He also reportedly spoke with a neighbor before he left the area.
"Ken had a conversation with his neighbor outside the host’s house, which was said to have been positive," the family writes. "The neighbor said Ken seemed in bright spirits and excited for the day."
The family noted on their website that Mr Deland Jr struggled to fit in initially during his study abroad period, but said it was the friends he made in France who initially reported him missing to the school.
French authorites issued a national report, noting that Mr DeLand Jr did not "speak French well" and that he may be "in a fragile mood" or "depressed."
30 November
Mr DeLand Jr’s phone transmitted GPS data for approximately a day before stopping sometime after 7pm CEST. The last GPS ping showed he was at a train station in Valence, France, approximately two-and-a-half hours from Grenoble, where he was staying. His phone showed no activity past that time.
3 December
Despite his phone no longer transmitting GPS data, his bank card was still producing information on his whereabouts. He stopped on 3 December to make a small purchase for $8.40 at a sporting goods store in Montelimar, France, at around 2.45pm CEST.
Security footage caught Mr DeLand Jr entering the store.
14 December
Two weeks passed with little new information on Mr DeLand Jr’s whereabouts. His family built a website to try to source information on their son’s location and began making media appearances to discuss the ongoing search.
On 14 December, Mr DeLand Sr appeared on CNN and said he felt French authorities were not doing enough to find their son.
"What’s being done?" Mr DeLand Sr asked. "[Are] there still resources? …Are they looking for him? What’s going on?"
He said that the day prior he had tried reaching out to the French embassy for assistance but found little help, as his son is an adult and French officials cannot handout location information for adults without their consent.
"There’s no reciprocation of information. That privacy act prevents disclosure of information, you can give them information but they cannot give you information," he told CNN.
He said he was told the same thing by police departments he contacted.
15 December
The woman who hosted him in Grenoble spoke with CNN on the condition of anonymity about the missing college student.
She noted that Mr DeLand Jr seemed to have an especially hard time adjusting and fitting in while studying abroad, more so than any of the other students she had previously hosted.
The woman said she peppered him with text messages after he did not return to her home in November, but said he did not reply to her. She also said she believes he left the area voluntarily, noting that he had mentioned wanting to visit Marseille before he finished his study abroad programme.
Though a French prosecutor managing the search for Mr DeLand Jr agreed he likely left voluntarily, the college student’s father disagreed.
"For him to not reach out, with no correspondence, this is very uncharacteristic of my son," Mr DeLand Sr told CNN. "This is what creates all the worry that any parent could ever feel."
16 December
Mr DeLand Sr spent Friday morning speaking with CNN about his son when he received a phone call and abruptly ended his interview with the network.
Later, he appeared on the network once again to report good news; his son was alive, and the two had spoken over the phone.
"He is alive — that’s all I can say," Mr DeLand Sr told CNN.
According to a family statement, Mr DeLand Jr saw himself on the news, which prompted him to reach out to his father.
Eric Vaillant, a French prosecutor, confirmed that Mr DeLand Jr was alive and in Spain.
17 December
French authorities confirmed on 17 December that Mr DeLand Jr had been reunited with his mother in Lyon, France.
The pair were expected to fly home to the US the same day.
