Missing at age 11, found six years later in France: UK teen pops up one rainy night

There's still a heap of unanswered questions, notably: Where has he been?

ByJOHN LEICESTER Associated Press and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

December 15, 2023, 2:02 AM

This undated photo issued by Greater Manchester Police on Thursday Dec. 14, 2023 shows missing British schoolboy Alex Batty who was believed to have been abducted by his mother six years ago and has been found in France. Batty, who went missing six years ago on a family holiday in Spain has been found in southwestern France, French media reported on Thursday Dec. 14, 2023. (Greater Manchester Police via AP)

This undated photo issued by Greater Manchester Police on Thursday Dec. 14, 2023 shows missing British schoolboy Alex Batty who was believed to hav…

The Associated Press

LE PECQ, France – The vehicle's headlights silhouetted the exhausted teenager walking alone in the rain in deepest rural France, with a skateboard tucked under his arm.

“I said to myself, ‘That’s strange. It’s 3 am in the morning, it’s raining, he’s all by himself on the road between two villages," delivery driver Fabien Accidini recounted.

From there, the story gets stranger still. The youngster, it turned out, was Alex Batty, a 17-year-old from Britain who had been missing since 2017.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uk-police-overjoyed-british-teen-missing-6-years-105683514