Alex Batty: British boy missing for 6 years found on road in France

globalnews.ca:

Alex Batty, an 11-year-old boy who was reported missing during a trip to Spain in 2017, has been found in France and will return home to the U.K. in the coming days, authorities said.

Alex, now 17, was discovered walking alongside a road in the small town of Revel in southern France early Wednesday. He had only a backpack, skateboard and a flashlight when a delivery driver stopped to offer the boy a ride around 3 a.m. local time, the BBC reported.

He was in good health and did not appear to have been abused in any way.

Police in Toulouse, east of Revel, said Alex’s family have since confirmed his identity.

Six years ago, Alex vanished while on a week-long vacation to Málaga, Spain with his mother, Melanie Batty, and grandfather, David Batty. Alex and his family members were supposed to return to the U.K. on Oct. 8, 2017, but they never did.

Alex’s grandmother, Susan Caruana, was and is his primary legal guardian.

Melanie and David are both wanted in connection to Alex’s abduction. Their whereabouts are not known.

On Thursday, Alex spoke to Caruana via a video call, the Greater Manchester Police said during a press conference the following day. Caruana confirmed the boy is indeed her grandson.

Alex is currently in the care of social services but will return to the U.K. in the coming days. Manchester police said they still have “further checks” to complete once Alex is back in the country.

“Alex and his family remain our focus,” said Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes. “We still have some work to do in establishing the full circumstances surrounding his disappearance, and where he has been in all those years.”

The investigation is ongoing.

Alex reportedly told police he’d been in France for the last two years.

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