6 years after he vanished in Spain, UK teen found in France
In 2017, 11-year-old Alex Batty was on vacation with his mother and grandfather in Spain. He then disappeared and was considered missing for six years.
Neither his mother, Melanie Batty, nor his grandfather, David Batty, had legal custody of Alex. Rather, it was his grandmother, Susan Caruana, who filled the role of caregiver.
The now teenager, who is British, was picked up this week by a delivery driver in Haute-Garonne, France, walking alone alongside the road in the rain, per The Associated Press.
According to The Guardian, Alex spoke to his grandmother, who helped officers to confirm his identity.
In a statement released by the Greater Manchester Police, she said, “I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well. I spoke with him last night and it was so good to hear his voice and see his face again. I can’t wait to see him when we’re reunited.”
He is expected to return to the United Kingdom this weekend.
How did Alex Batty go missing?
The young boy was supposed to be on vacation near Marbella, Spain, for a week in October 2017. Alex was due home on Oct. 8, but was spotted at the Port of Malaga instead, before disappearing completely, per The Independent.
When he did not return, Caruana reported him missing.
Caruana suspected her daughter and ex-husband of kidnapping her grandson with the intention of pursuing a different kind of life.
“They didn’t want him to go to school, they don’t believe in mainstream school,” she said, per the BBC.
His mother had, on another occasion, taken him to live on a commune in pursuit of an alternative lifestyle. Because of that history, Caruana believed them to have taken Alex to live on a commune in Morocco.
Law enforcement now believes that his mother and grandfather turned to a semi-nomadic lifestyle.
CNN reported that Alex’s life consisted of traveling “from house to house with solar panels, always car-pooling, always in places where there were large houses, where there were several families.”
Their survival depended on odd jobs, vegetables from their garden and his mother’s solar panels.
After living in Morocco, Spain and France, Alex decided to make his way back to England, wanting out of the lifestyle he’d been subjected to for six years. After walking for four days along the road with his pack and skateboard, delivery driver Fabien Accidini offered him a lift.
According to Accidini, Alex said, “He was relieved to leave, to return to England, to see his grandmother again because he didn’t want to live his whole life in that community. He wanted to have a real life with a real future,” per CNN.
During their drive, Alex used Accidini’s phone to send his grandmother a message that read: “Hello grandma it is me Alex i am in France Toulouse i really hope that you recieve (sic) this message i love you i want to come home.”
Alex told Toulouse assistant public prosecutor Antoine Leroy that he was afraid his mother would take him to Finland, where his mother is now suspected to be residing.
What happens in Alex Batty’s case now?
While Alex is being transported back to England, the search remains in effect for his mother. According to Leroy, Alex’s grandfather is believed to have died roughly six months ago, though his burial location is not currently known.
It is unclear at the present moment how police will proceed regarding a search for Melanie Batty. While she is presumed to be in Finland, her exact location is unknown.
Though in supposed good health, the English teenager is returning to society on the cusp of adulthood without years of formal schooling and with an immense change in lifestyle. With the help of his family, Alex will have years of learning to catch up on and the psychological impact may be felt indefinitely.
