American student missing in France may have left voluntarily, host says

(CNN) – The disappearance of an American college student in France is under investigation.

The woman who hosted Kenny Deland Jr. before he went missing said she thinks he may have left voluntarily, a claim echoed by a French prosecutor Monday.

Social media posts give little away, just images of a young American enjoying his exchange program in France.

But Deland vanished 15 days ago without a trace after leaving the home of the host mother with whom he was staying.

She explained she’s only spoken once to Deland’s mother, never to his father, but agreed to speak without the camera.

What the host mother said was that of all the students that she had hosted, Deland had been the one that seemed to have the most trouble fitting in and settling down to life in Grenoble.

She also said that, of course, since he’s disappeared, she’s been inundating him with messages to which he hadn’t responded.

And she added that she had been reassured by a sighting of him about an hour south of there in a sports shop Dec. 3, because she said it confirmed the possibility, and her hope, that he had gone and cut off communication voluntarily.

He spent just over $8 before vanishing altogether, according to his family, leaving behind only Facebook pictures of his life in France, from Paris to the University of Grenoble Alpes.

The last time DeLand turned up for lessons at the university he was studying at was Nov. 28. By Nov. 29, when he failed to show up, a missing person’s report was filed, and it emerged that he had left his host family that morning, taking a packed lunch, a change of clothes, his wallet and his phone.

DeLand hasn’t been heard from since.

His friends preferred not to speak on camera but said, “Kenny had friends that were exchange students and some that were local. We care about him and we want him to come back safely.”

The statements contradict what French authorities have said, that he struggled to make friends.

“What I’m telling you is he makes friends and he’s easy to talk to like me. If you don’t know my son then it’s tough for you to make some statements, some bold statements,” said Ken Deland, the missing student’s father.

The younger Deland’s friends said he was stressed about exams, something his father said was a possibility.

“He’s in a foreign country. He’s a pretty upbeat kid, you know what I mean? I mean it’s possible. … He was anxious. He wanted to do good. He wanted to prove he could get good grades even on a trip of a lifetime,” the elder Deland said.

Deland chronicled his journey to France in August. His father still hopes he’ll be able to pick him up as planned Saturday.

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