Thank you all for the suggestions and help so far. Pretty amazing that you can still book round-trip tickets for cheaper with 3 days' notice than a simple one-way.
The family messaged on Facebook today thanking all of their friends for trying to get their son home, but they have said to not buy a ticket just yet. They are hoping this situation stabilizes, and he will return home in December after he finishes his studies for the semester. So basically, I'm now planning based on if the situation worsens.