MYSTERY deepened last night over the whereabouts of the mother of British teen Alex Batty who was found in France after being missing for six years.
Alex had told French cops that his mum Melanie, 43, had gone to Finland — but they reckon that “seems unlikely”.
They suspect she may still be in the same area of countryside from which Alex escaped.
Confusion remains over the story the 17-year-old gave to police in France before he was reunited with his gran in the UK.
A French source told The Sun: “Alex said his mother wanted to go to Finland to see the Northern Lights.
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“We must ask how she was able to book a plane ticket while on an Interpol list.
“It seems unlikely.”
They also added: “There is every possibility that Alex’s grandfather, David Batty, is still alive.
“There does not seem to be a death certificate, or any other kind of official confirmation of his death.”
Alex is said to have told French prosecutors that his grandfather had died around six months ago and he took part in a meditation ceremony in his memory.
A source close to the search claimed investigators are keeping an open mind when piecing together Alex’s version of events.
Greater Manchester Police and Interpol are now co-ordinating the hunt for Melanie and David, 64.
The pair have been at the centre of an international manhunt since vanishing with Alex during a holiday in Spain in 2017 when neither of them were his legal guardian.
Fred Hambye and Ingrid Beauve, owners of a remote holiday gite (cottage) where Alex had been living revealed the teen left on Sunday of last week to visit his mum — outside Chalabre.
It is the nearest town to the La Forte campsite — where Melanie had been living.
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The Sun tracked down her abandoned American-style campervan in which she stayed from May — until leaving suddenly at the end of September.
She used the pseudonym Rose and neighbours said they often saw her through the window using her computer.
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The owner of the campsite, who asked not to be identified, said: “She arrived in May and left without warning at the end of September.
“She called herself Rose and I have only recently discovered she was the mother of the missing boy.
“I saw the woman from time to time and she said ‘Bonjour’.
“But she does not speak French and I do not speak English so we did not communicate other than that.
“She would spend all day tapping away on her computer.
“I don’t know what she was doing but that was what she did all day.
“I told her I was going to cut the hot water to the toilet block at the end of September.
“She left about that time.
“No one has seen her for at least two months.”
After arriving in France in 2021, Melanie went off to live in a “spiritual community” while Alex lived in the gite — where his grandad worked as a handyman.
Pal, Susie Harrison, who last saw Melanie a few weeks ago, said she is a “conspiracy theorist”.
She said: “She believed Covid-19 was not real, that it was created by the state to control the people.
“I don’t know what she did for money, but I know she gave therapeutic massages.
“She really wanted to set up a spiritual community here in the south of France.”
Ms Harrison also said she hitchhiked to a hippy market in Esperaza with David just a fortnight ago — despite claims he was dead.
Neighbours at the gite claimed they had seen David mowing the lawn within the last ten days.
Ms Harrison added: “He’s a conspiracist. They have the same way of thinking.
“But the boy doesn’t seem to have that bit of crazy edge.
“He’s polite — a really nice lad.
“Maybe he reached that age where he needs to go out into the world and have an identity, not a fake identity.
“That’s probably why he was trying to get back to his granny.
“If I see Rose, I’ll ask her, but maybe they’re on the run now for having been illegally in France all this time.”
Alex was picked up in pouring rain by a lorry driver at 3am on Wednesday 30 miles from the gite.
He was carrying a rucksack and skateboard and claimed he hiked for four days across the foothills of the Pyrenees.
But according to Google Maps, the trek should have taken 11 hours or quicker with his skateboard.
Alex is now back with Susan Caruana, 68 — Melanie’s mum and David’s ex — who was Alex’s legal guardian when he went missing.
He told reporters: “I’m just happy to be home for Christmas.”
A small dog ran out of Susan’s home when Alex broke his silence while returning from the shops.
Susan shouted after it: “Don’t you go missing like Alex,” before the pet rushed back inside.
