A younger Alex shown in a video with his mum and grandad, who are not his legal guardians
The family of kidnapped teenager Alex Batty say they have spent the last six years wondering whether he was dead or alive.
Alex, 17, was allegedly taken to join a commune in Spain while on a holiday in the country with his mum and her father in 2017, when he was 11 years old.
He was found near Toulouse, France, in the early hours of Wednesday morning by a motorist who saw him trudging through heavy rain.
After being taken into care by police, the boy was put in touch with his grandmother, Susan Caruana, who is his legal guardian.
Alex was last seen when he left for a holiday to Spain with his mum and granddad (Picture: PA)
His grandmother Susan says she didn’t know if he was ‘dead or alive’ (Picture: PA)
Ms Caruana told The Times on Thursday: ‘I spoke to him this afternoon and it is definitely him. I was speaking to a boy when he was with us and now I’m speaking to a man.
‘I’m hoping he will return next week. I wish we didn’t have the weekend upon us. It’s quite unbelievable when you don’t know if somebody’s dead or alive.’
Her husband Emanuel say arrangements are being made for them to see him ‘in the next few days’ and that they hope to bring him back to the family home in Oldham.
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He told the Daily Mail: ‘We miss him very much. We’ve been hoping, praying he’d be found safe.’
Greater Manchester Police want to speak with Alex’s mum, Melanie, and grandfather, David, in connection with his abduction.
Both were prohibited from being with the boy at the time of their holiday to Spain due to domestic difficulties.
They were due to return from their trip to Spain after two weeks but never returned.
A Facebook photo said to show an activity among the commune Alex was living with
Ms Caruana speculated that they had settled into ‘an alternative lifestyle’ somewhere.
Alex reportedly ended up in France two years ago, and French investigators believe he was living in a ‘spiritual community’ mainly in caravans and tents in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said on Thursday: ‘This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place.’
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The kidnapped teenager’s grandmother and her husband say they have spent the last six years gripped by fear for his safety.