Missing British teenager found alive and well in Spain

BRITISH teenager Elena Ciochina, who was the subject of a massive European manhunt after disappearing with an older Romanian man, has been found alive and well in Los Molinos, near Madrid.

She had left the UK on Saturday July 23 with 27-year-old Ionut Gheorghe, who has now been arrested under a European arrest warrant.

The 15-year-old minor, who hails from Newham in London but originally comes from Romania herself had sparked a huge search across the continent following news of her disappearance.

As reported by EWN the search quickly focused on Spain, following reports that the fugitive pair had been spotted by police in Guadalajara, also near Madrid.

Motivations for the journey and whether Elena travelled of her own accord or under duress remain unclear.