What Ken DeLand’s Story Tells Us About Bringing Missing Americans Home Safely

When the quality emerged that 21-year-old American pupil Ken “Kenny” DeLand had vanished without a hint successful France, the hearts of parents everyplace churned connected behalf of the household truthful desperately trying to find him.

It was the run-up to Christmas and Kenny’s loved ones anticipated seeing him soon. His survey overseas programme astatine the University Grenoble Alpes was acceptable to extremity connected December 15 with his visa expiring lone the pursuing month. 

However, successful an instant, the DeLand household was plunged into a nightmare erstwhile Kenny became an American missing abroad. Happily, this is simply a communicative with a affirmative ending and besides with a fig of invaluable examples of however others faced with specified a situation tin instrumentality power of the situation. Read connected arsenic we dive into Kenny’s communicative and item cardinal pointers for anyone trying to find a missing idiosyncratic abroad.

The Disappearance of Kenny DeLand

On November 29 of 2022, Kenny had meal and packed a container with a alteration of clothes, his telephone and wallet, and near his French big family’s location without saying a word. Only 2 days prior, he’d sent his past WhatsApp connection to his household and shared his past societal media post. He’d near down each of his different belongings, including his different devices and telephone charger.

With the alarm raised, efforts began to hint the whereabouts of Kenny, initially to small avail. His telephone had past pinged connected November 30^th earlier going dark. It was learned that he’d boarded a bid to Valence, contempt not having his bid pass. 

A hint connected Kenny’s slope relationship and CCTV footage allowed him to beryllium traced to a Decathlon store successful Montelimar connected December 3, wherever the 6ft gangly pupil was recorded making a acquisition for $8.40 portion wearing a reddish jacket, grey beanie, bluish jeans, scarf, and achromatic backpack. However, those connected Kenny’s way were inactive successful the wind.

Frustration for the Loved Ones of Kenny DeLand

The DeLand household rapidly jumped into action, mounting up a website for Kenny and moving with the State Department, the FBI, and the French authorities to effort to way down their son. Heart wrenchingly, they shared online, “We fearfulness the worst and privation him to beryllium located.”

However, arsenic not lone the connection obstruction but besides French privateness authorities blocked the travel of captious accusation from authorities, DeLand Senior publically shared his frustrations. “There’s nary reciprocation of information. That privateness enactment prevents disclosure of information, you tin springiness them accusation but they cannot springiness you information,” helium shared with CNN.

But their efforts were not successful vain, due to the fact that the extended media sum of Kenny’s disappearance had deed the headlines successful Spain. As the household learned connected December 16—only 5 days aft holding a supplication vigil for the young traveler’s harmless return—Kenny had successful information crossed the borderline contempt a emblem connected his passport. After seeing himself connected the news, Kenny contacted his parents, who shared online, “Without everyone’s help, we wouldn’t person our Son, hopefully, location Christmas.”

Taking Control When a Loved One Goes Missing Abroad

As Kenny’s communicative makes clear, portion embassies, the State Department, and instrumentality enforcement connected the crushed tin supply immoderate enactment determination is powerfulness successful taking autarkic steps to find a missing idiosyncratic overseas. This tin span from creating societal media campaigns and contacting media outlets to seeking adept enactment from an planetary missing persons researcher who tin instantly get retired into the tract and hunt for your loved one.
Here astatine Lauth Missing Persons, we supply a spectrum of investigative enactment options for those who are trying to a missing US national abroad. Head implicit to our free missing persons resources page to observe much astir however you tin instrumentality power of this hard concern oregon contact our squad today to sermon however we tin assist.