The boy was 11 years old when he disappeared on the way to Malaga. Six years later, he was found walking along the side of the road.
French authorities say they have found a British boy who was reported missing six years ago. The boy has been identified as being from Oldham To Alex Batty.
The boy disappeared in 2017 while he was on his way to Malaga with his mother and grandfather. The boy was 11 years old at the time of his disappearance.
The boy was found in the south of France near the city of Toulouse, The BBC reports.
The boy was found on Wednesday, when the police received a report of a suspicious youth walking along the roadside.
French magazine La Depeche du Midi says that Batty recently lived in a spiritual community in Ariege in the Pyrenees. The community is known as a camp for sectarians from different parts of Europe looking for an alternative lifestyle. Also, apparently, the boy’s mother and grandfather had spent some time in the community recently.
According to the newspaper, Batty had tried to escape from the community.
A passing motorist had seen Batty on his way and had offered him a ride. According to the driver, the boy had been walking for several days.
The boy had asked the driver for a phone to borrow so he could tell his grandmother that he was okay. In the end, the driver and the boy had parted ways. The driver was worried about the young man and had reported his observation to the authorities.
The grandmother, who was named the boy’s official guardian, said in 2018 In an interview with the BBC suspecting that the boy’s mother kidnapped the child and took him to a sect in Morocco.
According to the BBC, Batty is in good health. He had also told the French police that he had spent a couple of years in France and that he had not been treated badly in any way.