A British schoolboy not seen for six years has dramatically been found walking by a road in France in the pouring rain. The first thing the boy, who is now in his mid-teens, did was text his grandmother to say “I love you” and “I want to come home”.
Alex Batty was just 11 when he went missing after being taken on a family holiday to Spain in 2017. Detectives believe he was abducted by his mother Melanie Batty to live an “alternative” lifestyle abroad.
Alex’s grandmother, Susan Caruana, has not seen him since he went on the trip with Ms Batty, who does not have legal parental guardianship, and his grandfather David Batty. David and Melanie Batty remain wanted in connection with Alex’s disappearance.
Now 17, Alex was found by chance by French chiropody student Fabien Accidini who offered the teenager a lift in the early hours of Wednesday after spotting him walking alone near the city of Toulouse. In a text sent from Mr Accidini’s phone by Alex it reads: “Hello grandma it is me Alex, I am in France Toulouse.
“I really hope you receive this message, I love you, I want to come home.”
Mr Accidini, 26, told Sky News that Alex revealed he had lived in a luxury house in Spain with around 10 people as part of a “spiritual community”, before moving to France in around 2021. Alex’s grandmother, Mrs Caruana, said she believed her ex-partner and daughter had run away because they wanted Alex to have an “alternative lifestyle”.
She told The Times: “They didn’t want him to go to school. They don’t believe in mainstream school. I spoke to him this afternoon and it is definitely him. I was speaking to a boy when he was with us and now I’m speaking to a man.
“It’s quite unbelievable when you don’t know if somebody’s dead or alive.” It’s reported Alex had been trekking for four days across the Pyrenees before he was found walking by the side of the road.
Mr Accidini told a French local newspaper he passed the teenager twice walking by the road. He said: “He was walking while the rain fell in heavy drops. The second time I passed him, I decided to offer to drop him off somewhere.
“He was quite tall and blond, and dressed in black jeans, a white sweater and a backpack. He also carried a skateboard under his arm and a flashlight for lighting. His attitude gave me confidence. He ended up getting into my van.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are supporting a British national in France and are in contact with local authorities.”
