Ken DeLand: Missing American student in France is member of conservative campus organization, group says

The American college student who went missing in France while studying abroad is a member of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization on many college campuses.

Ken DeLand Jr. is a senior at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York, and went missing while learning French at the University of Grenoble Alpes. He contacted his parents on Nov. 27 using WhatsApp, but hasn’t been heard from since. The student boarded a train going to Valence, France, on Nov. 27, according to his family.

“Pray for Ken,” reads a post on Instagram by TPUSA Students. “Help us find our chapter president Ken DeLand…Ken was last heard from by his family on November 27, 2022 when he left his host family’s residence and boarded a train for Valence, France.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for TPUSA said that DeLand was chapter president for the St. John Fisher University and attended various conferences with the group.

KEN DELAND: AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT MISSING IN FRANCE HAD TROUBLE MAKING FRIENDS, MAY HAVE LEFT VOLUNTARILY

“The organization is very concerned about Ken DeLand’s wellbeing. The entire Turning Point USA family and community is praying for his safety and we are actively trying to spread the word in hopes that someone who might know where he is will see our messages and our posts and help Ken’s family locate him as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for TPUSA said.

Grenoble prosecutor Eric Vaillant previously told Fox News Digital that DeLand appears to have left the city on his own.

Ken DeLand seen abroad.
(findkendeland.com)

Vaillant said that DeLand “told several people that he arrived in France insufficiently prepared and had difficulty making friends.”

Police obtained a copy of DeLand’s recent purchases and found that he used a bank card to make a purchase in the town of Montelimar on Dec. 3 at 9 a.m.

KEN DELAND MISSING: AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT DISAPPEARS IN FRANCE WHILE STUDYING ABROAD

Valence city sign in Montelimar, France on December 14, 2022. 
(Julien Reynaud/Abaca for Fox News Digital)

DeLand was “last seen wearing a red jacket, scarf, grey beanie, blue jeans/slacks, black backpack, and sneakers,” according to a website made by his family.

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Ken DeLand walking into a store
(findkendeland.com)

“We fear the worst and want him to be located; please share this information,” the website reads.