Kidnapped By My Mum tells the extraordinary story of Alex Batty, the British teenager abducted by his own mother, Melanie Batty, before eventually fleeing and returning home six years later.
The new BBC documentary follows Alex, now 20, as he retraces the years he spent travelling across Europe with his mum and grandfather, David Batty.
“What they used to say is, ‘It’s classified as kidnapping, but it isn’t kidnapping because she’s my mum’… for me it’s not a story, for me it’s my life,” he says in the film.
Following the documentary’s release on BBC iPlayer, viewers have been left asking the same questions: what happened to Melanie Batty, and where is she now?
What happened to Alex Batty?
Although Melanie Batty was Alex’s mother, his legal guardian was actually his grandmother, Susan Caruana.
Before his disappearance, Melanie had already taken Alex to Morocco when he was eight years old, where she reportedly floated the idea of staying there permanently.
Then, in 2017, she took him on what Susan believed was a short holiday to Spain alongside Alex’s grandfather, David Batty.
They never came back. Susan later received a video message from Melanie saying she would never “give [her] boy up to Susan or the authorities”.
Over the following years, Alex lived off-grid across Spain and France, moving between communes and isolated communities. He didn’t attend school and spent much of his teenage years detached from normal life.
According to the documentary, Melanie also became deeply involved in conspiracy theories and the sovereign citizen movement, which rejects government authority and institutions.
At one point, after disagreements over her beliefs, Alex says he was forced to live in a tent through winter for six months.
How was Alex Batty found?
In late 2023, after growing increasingly unhappy and deciding he wanted to return home, Alex secretly left the commune where he’d been staying.
After trekking for two days through the French Pyrenees, he was discovered by a delivery driver in the early hours of the morning.
Before leaving, Alex wrote a goodbye note to his mother telling her he loved her.
He later admitted he initially lied to authorities about where he’d been because he wanted to protect Melanie and David.
“I’ve been lying to try and protect my mum and grandad,” he later told The Sun.
After spending a short period in the care of French authorities, Alex returned to the UK in December 2023 and reunited with his grandmother in Greater Manchester.
Was Melanie Batty charged?
No. Neither Melanie Batty nor David Batty were ultimately charged.
Greater Manchester Police launched a criminal investigation after Alex was found, but the case was officially closed in 2025.
Police said there was “no realistic chance of prosecution”, adding that the family did not wish to pursue charges.
In a statement, Detective Superintendent Matt Walker explained that authorities had consulted with the CPS and National Crime Agency before deciding to end the investigation.
“Alex is now an adult, safe, and reintegrated with life back in Greater Manchester surrounded by those who love him, which ultimately is the priority,” he said.
Where is Melanie Batty now?
Melanie Batty’s current whereabouts are unknown.
Her last confirmed location was in the French Pyrenees in 2023, shortly before Alex escaped and returned to the UK.
Because of her nomadic lifestyle, it’s possible she’s moved elsewhere in Europe since then, although there’s been no official confirmation.
At the end of the documentary, filmmakers state that Melanie was invited to respond to the allegations raised in the film.
“She declined to provide any response,” the documentary explains.
“She says she plans to release her own story, with her version of events.”
It’s currently unclear what form that would take, or whether it will ever actually be released.
Kidnapped By My Mum viewers divided over Melanie Batty
The documentary has sparked an unexpected debate online.
Some viewers expressed sympathy for Melanie, arguing she became consumed by conspiracy theories and genuinely believed she was protecting her son.
“This is such sad but good storytelling… the real life repercussions of someone getting sucked into Sovereign Citizen BS,” one viewer wrote on Facebook.
Another argued: “She chose to take her boy that she has a lot of love for and at least he grew up knowing his mum loved him.”
Others were far less forgiving.
“She’s traumatised that lad,” one viewer wrote.
“She was brainwashing the child. Keeping him out of school, making him work. No friends,” another added.
A third argued that both Melanie and David “should have been charged regardless”.
Despite everything, Alex still cares about his mother.
The documentary reveals he now has a baby daughter of his own and is trying to rebuild his life in the UK.
Read more: The best movies on BBC iPlayer you can stream right now
Kidnapped By My Mum is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think?