College student who disappeared while studying in France is reunited with his mother and coming home to US

Ken DeLand Jr is flying back to the United States today

Ken DeLand Jr, 22, posing for a photo. Mr DeLand Jr has gone missing in France while studying abroad, and was last seen at a sporting goods store on 3 December (handout/FindKenDeLand)

The American college student who mysteriously disappeared while studying abroad in France has been reunited with his family.

Ken DeLand Jr disappeared a little more than two weeks ago, launching an international missing persons search as his family feared the worst.

On Friday, the student’s father broke the happy news that his son had been found alive and well in Spain.

French authorities confirmed on Saturday that Mr DeLand Jr “is currently in Lyon with his mother and they should be taking a plane together for the United-States today during the day.”

Details surrounding his disappearance remain unclear.

The college student’s father, Ken DeLand Sr, was in the middle of a CNN interview about his son’s case on Friday when he suddenly hung up the phone.

He called back later with "good news" for the broadcasters – his son was alive, and the two had just had a conversation.

"He is alive – that’s all I can say," he told the network.

Eric Vaillant, a French prosecutor, confirmed to the network that Mr DeLand Jr was alive and currently in Spain.

During the call with CNN, Mr DeLand Sr did not elaborate on his conversation with his son, and provided no details on his whereabouts for the past two weeks.

Mr DeLand Jr’s family began searching for him after learning from a school official that he had gone missing on 27 November. He was expected back in the US this Saturday following the end of his college semester and the expiration of his education visa. Mr DeLand Jr’s classmates told police that he had been “depressed” and “in a fragile mood” as the end of his study abroad period approached.

A woman who had acted as a host for Mr DeLand Jr while he was in France told his family that he may have just left voluntarily. French legal authorities forwarded the same possibility in the early stages of the search.

His parents rejected that idea.

"For him to not reach out, with no correspondence, this is very uncharacteristic of my son," Mr DeLand Sr told the broadcaster. "This is what creates all that worry that any parents could ever feel."