A British boy who vanished while on holiday with his mum and grandad six years ago has finally been found, and the heartbreaking message he sent to his grandma when rescued has been revealed.
Alex Batty was just 11-years-old when he vanished while on holiday in Spain back in 2017.
Alex’s family, from Oldham, Manchester, have spent the last six years wondering where on earth he could be, and in fact if he was even still alive.
But what happened to Alex and where he has been living for the last six years - no one could have predicted.
Yesterday (14 December), he was found in Toulouse, France, by a lorry driver who happened to come across him after he had been hiking through the Pyrenees mountains for days in an attempt to escape.
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Alex, now 17-years-old, told the lorry driver - named Fabien Accidini - that he had been ‘kidnapped’ by his own mum, who he described as ‘a little crazy’.
He said he had been hiking to try and escape a spiritual commune, with whom he had been travelling the remote Pyrenean valleys with.
Mr Accidini told La Depeche: “He arrived in France in around 2021. “In the middle of last weekend, he decided to leave his mother to join his family in England.
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“He had been walking in the mountains for more than four days! He lived with his mother in a spiritual community, far away from normal life. Alex told me his mother was a little crazy but she never imprisoned him."
And when found by Mr Accidini, Alex was able to finally contact his grandma Susan using the driver's phone to let her know he was still alive.
The message said: “Hello grandma, it is me Alex. I am in France, Toulouse.
“I really hope that you receive this message. I love you, I want to come home.”
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Upon receiving the message, in an interview with The Sun, Alex’s grandmother said: “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.”
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In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place.”
Mia Williams