TOULOUSE, France: A British boy who disappeared in Spain six years ago when he was 11 has been found in a mountainous area in France, prosecutors reported on Thursday.
The boy, Alex Batty, now 17, was found near the town of Revel southeast of the southern city of Toulouse, according to regional prosecutors.
Toulouse prosecutors said that they have confirmed his identity and he will now return to his home country, AFP reported on Friday.
Greater Manchester Police in England said that the boy, who hails to the northern English town of Oldham, had left the United Kingdom in September 2017 for a pre-agreed family holiday in Spain.
Manchester police said that this is a complex and long-running probe, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place
Media reports said the boy’s grandmother Susan Caruana had previously said she believed Alex’s mother and grandfather had taken him to live with a spiritual community in Morocco to seek an alternative lifestyle without traditional education.
Alex Batty was last seen in Spain on 8 October 2017, the day they were expected to return home.
Alex Batty is currently in France
Alex Batty is currently in a centre for children in Toulouse, awaiting the arrival of UK police and consular staff to bring him back to England.
The mother and grandfather, who do not have parental guardianship of the boy, have not been located but remain wanted in connection with his disappearance.
