British Boy Missing for Six Years Finally Found in Different Country

England – A boy from England, was missing for six years since 2017 and finally found in France in 2023.

Alex Batty, from Oldham, was 11 years old and under the guardianship of his grandmother, Susan Caruana, when he was allegedly abducted by his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather, David Batty. 

Caruana said that she believed her former partner and his daughter had run Alex off because they wanted him to have an alternative lifestyle. 

Later, French newspaper La Depeche reported that officials had confirmed that Batty, now 17, turned up in the southern French town of Revel. 

Alex used a hitchhiker's cell phone to send a message to his grandmother in England via social media. He wrote, "I love you, I want to go home." 

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said officers in Oldham have been in contact with French authorities.

“This is a complex and long-term investigation and we need to carry out further investigations and implement appropriate safeguards,” a GMP spokesperson informed. 

Alex goes missing after a previously planned holiday in Malaga with his mother and grandfather.

Fabien Accidini, a chiropractic student from Toulouse, told La Depeche that he was driving while delivering medicines in Aude when he saw Alex walking in the rain at around 2am on Wednesday holding a skateboard.

“He was walking in heavy rain. The second time I passed him, I decided to offer to take him somewhere," Accidini said.

He was quite tall and had blonde hair, and was wearing black jeans, a white sweater, and a backpack. 

He also had a skateboard under his arm and a flashlight for light. His attitude made me confident. He finally got into the van... For the first few minutes, he seemed a little embarrassed.

"I decided to communicate in English. When I asked his name, he pretended his name was Zach, and we continued chatting," Accidini remarked. 

"We talked for over three hours! Very quickly, he gave me his real identity – Alex Batty – before telling me his story,"

Accidini further said that Alex confided in him that he was taken away in 2017 when he was 11 years old and lived in Spain in a luxury house with about 10 people for three years.

According to Accidini, Alex has no hostility towards his mother, but he really wants to meet his grandmother. “He really misses his loved ones,” Accidini said.

The 26-year-old revealed to Sky News that Alex admitted to him that he had been climbing a nearby mountain for more than four days in an attempt to return to the United Kingdom. 

At first Accidini didn't believe the story, but then agreed to contact the police.

"After I called the police to explain the situation, then the police came, that's when I realized the whole story (was true)," said Accidini.

Alex, Accidini said, has no regrets about leaving the community where he belongs.

“He just wanted to live a normal life, see his grandmother again and have a ‘normal’ future – that's what he said,” Accidini concluded.