11‑year-old boy who vanished in Spain reappears in France six years later after a nomadic life

The British media extensively reported the disappearance of Alex Batty, an 11-year-old English boy. In late September 2017, his mother and grandfather took him on vacation to Marbella, Spain. He was last seen on October 8th at the port in Malaga, right before he was supposed to return to England.

In his hometown of Greater Manchester, his grandmother Susan Caruana, who was also his only legal guardian, was anxiously awaiting his return. When he did not arrive as expected, she started to worry and soon reported his disappearance to the authorities.

A search was initiated by the police, but it led to no results. The boy's grandmother started to harbor suspicions about his disappearance.

In 2018, Caruana revealed in an interview with the BBC that she suspected Alex's mother and his grandfather had taken him to a spiritual community in Morocco. Reportedly, they sought to live "alternatively" and did not support his schooling.

For years, investigators could not find any leads related to the missing boy. However, on December 14, a breakthrough occurred in the case. The French prosecutor's office announced that Alex Batty was found in the city of Revel, located in the Occitanie region.

The BBC reports that while walking down the street with a backpack, a driver offered the now 17-year-old boy a ride. During the three-hour ride, the teenager shared his story with the driver. He revealed that he had been living in the remote valleys of the Pyrenees, moving from place to place.

"He said he lived in something akin to a nomadic commune. He was not there under any compulsion. However, he mentioned finding his mother's lifestyle a bit strange and decided that he wanted to follow his own path. As a result, he decided to leave," has been reported by Remi Buhagiar from the newspaper "La Depeche" to the BBC.

Alex planned to find a large city with an embassy where he could seek help. The sympathetic driver took him to a police station where he was able to contact British officials and his grandmother.

"I'm overjoyed. I spoke to him, and he's doing well. It's such a shock," Alex's grandmother told "The Sun" newspaper.