British teenager who went missing 6 years ago in Spain is found in southwest France, reports say

PARIS (AP) — A British teenager who went missing six years ago on a family holiday in Spain has been found in southwestern France, French media reported on Thursday.

Broadcasters BFMTV and TF1 cited the prosecutors’ office in Toulouse as saying that Alex Batty, 17, has been found.

BFMTV said a delivery driver spotted the adolescent looking lost and haggard by the side of a road and drove him to a police station. TF1 said he was found on Wednesday.

The Toulouse prosecutors’ office did not immediately respond to after-hours questions sent by email and text message by The Associated Press.

In the United Kingdom, the Greater Manchester Police said officers from Batty’s hometown of Oldham are in contact with French authorities to establish the authenticity of the reports.

The force said his mother, Melanie Batty, and his grandfather, David Batty, are wanted in connection with the teenager’s disappearance and that their whereabouts are unknown. He traveled with them on the trip to Spain in 2017, when he was 11.

“This is a complex and long-running investigation, and we need to make further enquiries as well as putting appropriate safeguarding measures in place,” the force said.