British boy Alex Batty vanished from the face of the earth in 2017 after going on an overseas holiday with his family. Now, in a stunning twist, the missing boy has been found alive in France. NZ Herald reports. 

A British boy who was “kidnapped” more than six years ago has been found alive after a man spotted him wandering in a French mountain range. 

Alex Batty was just 11 when he went missing during a family holiday in Spain in 2017. 

He was travelling with his mother, Melanie, and grandfather David when he was reportedly abducted. The three of them were expected to leave Marbella after only two weeks, but never returned. 

Neither his mum nor his granddad was supposed to be with him because of domestic difficulties when he vanished. 

His grandmother and legal guardian, Susan Caruana, said she believed her daughter and ex-husband David had taken him abroad to live an “alternative lifestyle”. 

Police launched an investigation into his disappearance, but until today he remained missing. 

Alex Batty was supposed to return to the UK with his family. He never returned, sparking an international investigation. 

It has emerged that Alex, now 17, was taken by his mother to a “spiritual commune” in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. 

By luck, French student Fabien Accidini was driving along the road when he discovered Alex in the French mountain range. The British teen had been wandering for four days in an attempt to reach his grandmother in England. 

Freezing and exhausted, Alex, holding a skateboard, accepted a ride from Accidini. 

Alex then revealed to the driver he was making a daring attempt to escape France and get home to England. 

Accidini told French media what Alex had shared about his life since his “abduction” more than six years ago. 

“During the first few minutes, he seemed a little shy. We tried to speak in French but I noticed that he had not mastered the language. I decided to communicate in English. When I asked him his name, he pretended his name was Zach, and then we continued chatting. 

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

“He said his mother kidnapped him when he was 12 years old. Since then he had lived in Spain in a luxury house with around 10 people for three years. 

“He arrived in France around 2021. In the middle of the weekend, he decided to leave his mother to join his family in England. He had been walking for more than four days.” 

The student said Alex described his mother as “a little crazy” and “in some bizarre delirium when he was talking about spirituality”. 

Alex Batty's mother was accused of kidnapping her own son in 2017 and starting a new life with the then 11-year-old. 

However, it’s claimed he insisted she had never imprisoned him. 

“He had no animosity towards his mother but he really wanted to find his grandmother. He really missed his loved ones.” 

Accidini let Alex borrow his phone to send his grandmother a message, writing: “Hello Grandma it is me Alex. I am in France Toulouse. I really hope that you receive this message. I love you and want to come home.” 

His grandmother, who was 62 at the time of his disappearance, said she was ‘thrilled’ that Alex had been found. 

Speaking from her home, she told The Sun: “I am so happy. I have spoken to him and he is well. He is currently with the authorities in France. It is such a shock. 

“I don’t know where his mum is. It is great news. I am just waiting for him to come home. I am thrilled.” 

Alex is now in the care of social services and will soon be reunited with his grandmother in the UK. 

French authorities confirmed the missing person was Alex. 

Greater Manchester police said today that officers in Oldham were in contact with French authorities to establish the authenticity of reports that Alex was found. 

A spokesperson said: “This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further inquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place.” 

Heath Moore is an Auckland-based journalist covering trending, breaking, national, and world news. He joined the NZ Herald in 2017.