'kidnap' drama
Alex Batty’s granddad David may have DIED 6 months ago as cops fear ‘cult mum’ fled to Finland prompting teen to escape
Alex is expected to return to the UK tomorrow as police continue their search for his mother
BRITISH teen Alex Batty's grandfather may be dead and his mum could be hiding in Finland, police in France have revealed.
The boy, from Greater Manchester, disappeared aged 11 while on a family holiday in Spain in 2017 and was found in France this week.
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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.
French prosecutor Antoine Leroy has now revealed that Alex's grandfather David, who was with both Alex and Alex's mother Melanie, may have died six months ago.
He added that Alex, now 17, did not attend his grandfather's funeral but there was a ceremony held in the community around the time of his death.
Speaking in a press conference on Friday afternoon, Leroy claimed Alex decided to leave his mother in the Pyrenees mountains when she told him they needed to move to Finland.
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He said Alex and his mother and grandfather "were constantly on the move".
Leroy added: "We still need to find out more.
"There was a phobia around certain elements of life which meant the family would travel in a community with ten people at a time."
The prosecutor said Alex had spoken about having to live within the "realm of a community" and was never enrolled in school, but "came across as a normal teenager" and not illiterate or disenfranchised.
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Alex walked "exclusively at night" for four days, sleeping during the day to avoid detection, before being found by the delivery driver.
He is said to have been heading to Toulouse in the hopes he could find assistance and return home to his grandmother and legal guardian in the UK.
It is not known whether Alex told his mother that he wanted to leave the community, Leroy said.
- Alex Batty, was 11 years old when he went missing during a family holiday in Spain in 2017
- His mum Melanie and grandfather allegedly kidnapped him, leaving his grandmother and legal guardian Susan devastated
- On December 14 Alex was found alive and well six years after his kidnapping
- He hiked for four days to escape a commune in the Pyrenees mountains
- His family in the UK think he was "brainwashed" by his mum and grandad's beliefs
- The lorry driver who picked him up has revealed his simple hope after the six-year ordeal
Alex is expected to return to the UK tomorrow as police continue their search for his mother.
Leroy said the only current investigation into Melanie's whereabouts is in the UK. There is no international arrest warrant for her.
Melanie and David allegedly abducted Alex in 2017 during a family holiday to Spain then forced him to live in a spiritual sect believed to be based in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Leroy said: "He had no fixed abode. He was living in a spiritual community with his mother and grandfather.
"He walked for four days and four nights to get away. He walked exclusively at night and slept during the day."
The teen is expected to fly to Manchester tomorrow before returning to the home of his grandmother, Susan Caruana, in Oldham.
A French police source explained: "She is his legal guardian, and the case is now in the hands of Manchester police.
"The young man is staying at a youth hostel in Toulouse, but should be back in Britain soon."
Susan said she couldn't wait to be reunited with Alex and described his impending return as "amazing".
She added: "It's an incredible story. It’s unbelievable after all these years. I’m in shock. I can’t believe it. I have spoken to him and he’s well, that’s all I can say for now.
"I’m desperate to see him over the weekend but I don’t know what’s happening. I’m waiting for the authorities to let me know. It’s been all over the news. It’s breathtaking, and I’m over the moon. I just can’t believe it."
Susan continued: “I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well.
“I spoke with him last night and it was so good to hear his voice and see his face again. I can’t wait to see him when we’re reunited.
“The main thing is that he’s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child.
“I would ask that our family are given privacy as we welcome Alex back, so we can make this process as comforting as possible.”
The boy has so far refused to say where his mother is, according to a prosecuting source in Toulouse, but Susan said she believed Melanie and David were seeking an alternative lifestyle.
Relative Stephen Devine, a cousin of Alex’s mum, told The Sun: "Alex's mum was involved in a cult.
"His grandma became his guardian but then his mum ... and grandfather offered to take him on holiday for a week and they were never seen again.
"It is going to be a big adjustment for him. He's probably grown up without a formal education."
Alex left Manchester with his mother and grandfather for a pre-agreed week-long holiday to Marbella in Spain on September 30, 2017 and was last seen at the Port of Malaga on October 8 the same year - the day they were expected to return to the UK.
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A spokesman for 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."
And a UK Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting a British national in France and are in contact with local authorities."
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