How was Alex Batty found and were any arrests made?

For the first time, Alex Batty is telling his story in a brand new documentary – Kidnapped by My Mum.

The documentary retraces the route of Alex's disappearance across Spain and France, uncovering not just how he was hidden but the belief system that kept him there.

Featuring interviews from Alex, his grandmother and detectives who reflect on the failed attempts to locate him, Alex confronts something far more complicated: how he feels about his mother.

Read on to learn more about Alex Batty and the story of his disappearance, including how he was found after six years.

Who is Alex Batty?

Alex Batty is a 20-year-old man who went missing when he was 11 years old.

Born in 2006, Alex was raised by his mother Melanie and his maternal grandmother in Manchester who later became his legal guardian.

When did Alex Batty go missing?

In 2017 Alex travelled to Spain with his mother, Melanie, and grandfather, David, on what was meant to be a holiday.

Neither Melanie nor David was Alex's legal guardian and they were due to bring him back home to his grandmother after a week before Alex disappeared without a trace.

Alex was last seen at the Port of Malaga on the day he was expected to return to the UK and his disappearance was treated as a potential abduction.

In the six years that followed, Alex was constantly on the move with his mother and grandfather and they lived in communes and caravans across Spain and France, often befriending people who were "spiritual".

How was Alex Batty found?

Alex was walking for four days before he was found by a delivery driver in the early hours of the morning. Alex was walking alongside the road at 3am, carrying a backpack, torch and a skateboard.

The driver told authorities that Alex had told him he had been sleeping by day and walking by night to escape and was surviving by eating anything he could find in fields and gardens.

"We stayed in a lot of caravans. We stayed in a lot of houses, always up mountains hours away from any kind of village. One day I just thought, OK I cant take this any more," Alex said during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

"I knew everything was in place for them to leave where we were so if I were to leave, everything would be gone by the time the police arrived."

Alex returned to the UK in December 2023 and a week after his return, the Greater Manchester Police confirmed it had launched a criminal investigation into his disappearance.

Were any arrests made in the investigation into Alex Batty's disappearance?

In 2025, the Greater Manchester Police confirmed it had called off the criminal investigation into the disappearance of Alex Batty.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said at the time that a probe into child abduction had been dropped as his family did not support it and there was "no realistic chance of prosecution", as per BBC News.

Alex had previously said he did not want his mother or grandfather to go to jail, explaining: "That's why I didn't come home sooner – all I worried about was them getting locked up," with his grandmother agreeing that she didn't want them to go to prison.

Det Supt Matt Walker said: "The right thing to do is bring closure to this chapter of Alex and his family's lives, particularly as this is the outcome they wished for."

Melanie Batty and David Batty were not charged in relation to the alleged abduction.

As noted in the documentary, Melanie declined to comment on the allegations made against her while David did not respond.

Kidnapped by My Mum airs on Wednesday 13 May at 9pm on BBC Three. It is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

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