A BRITISH boy who vanished six years ago has been found alive in France after fleeing a "spiritual community" in the mountains on foot.
Alex Batty, from Lancashire, was just 11 years old when he went missing during a family holiday in Spain in 2017.
Alex was travelling with his mum, Melanie, 37, and grandfather David, 58, when he was apparently abducted.
He had flown out on a pre-agreed trip with his mum and grandad, but his grandmother and legal guardian Susan Caruana remained behind in the UK.
And the three of them were expected to leave Marbella after just a week in the town of Benahavis, but never returned.
Cops launched an investigation into his disappearance, but until today he remained missing.
They were expected home on October 8, but inquiries at the time suggested they may have sailed that day from Malaga to Mellilla on the Moroccan border.
His grandmother Susan, then 62, thought they might have adopted "an alternative lifestyle" somewhere abroad.
She said at the time: "They didn't want [Alex] to go to school, they don't believe in mainstream school."
And she revealed that her daughter and ex-husband previously lived on a commune in Morocco with Alex in 2014.
Susan previously received a video through Facebook of the three of them on the day they were due to return in 2017.
It was released without audio by Greater Manchester Police, and appears to show Alex, Melanie and David reading from some kind of script.
Speaking to The Sun today Susan said she was “thrilled” that her grandson has finally been found.
She 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.”
Prosecutors believe Alex, who is now 17, has been found in Revel near Toulouse, southern France.
Local reports said he fled a rural spiritual community in the Pyrenees mountains and hiked for days to escape.
A concerned lorry driver eventually picked him up and contacted police, who interviewed him.
He apparently didn't show any official ID to the cops who questioned him, but was able to identify himself.
"His face and his story correspond in every way to that of the Briton kidnapped in 2017," local said.
The teen reportedly told the story of what had happened to him "serenely and calmly".
It's claimed he had been living in southern France, staying in tents and caravans with his mum and grandad.
He is now apparently with social services while officials wait for his family to come forward.
Greater Manchester Police today said they were contacted about a "possible sighting in France of Alex Batty" and are working with French authorities.
They 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.”
A French police spokesman added: "We can confirm that the young man who has been found is Alex Batty. He is well and providing information".
The spokesman said the French authorities were in touch with Greater Manchester Police who were "speaking to his family in England".
His devastated guardian Susan said in 2018: "On the Sunday, they were due back in the afternoon and my husband was going to go and pick them up.
"I got this message on Facebook and it was a YouTube video of the three of them.
"They all spoke on it and Melanie said the reasons why they had done what they had done.
"Alex said it was a million times better being with his mum and grandad. Obviously it hurt me a bit but then my other concerns kicked in.
"The reason I believe they have done this is because basically my lifestyle, my belief systems, are not what they agree with - just simply living day to day, how normal people do.
"They didn't want him to go to school, they don't believe in mainstream school."
