Major search underway as British boy, 3, ‘abducted by his mum’ in Spain

A major police search is currently underway in Spain after a dad reported that his three-year-old son had been abducted by his mother.

According to the Spanish Ministry of Interior, the boy, referred to as Oliver P, was last seen in the city of Marbella on 4 July.

Oliver, whose full name was not been released to the public, is understood to have a British father and a Russian mother, with law enforcement officials currently believing the mother has taken the child back to her home country without consent.

"We are treating this as a parental abduction," a police spokesperson said of the situation (via The Sun).

"We believe the mother has left Spain and has taken the boy to her homeland which is Russia."

Oliver had been living in Spain with his parents, who are reported to be separated (CNDES)

It's understood the boy's parents were separated and both living in Spain, with a court order allegedly preventing the mother from leaving the country with him.

The youngster is described as having blonde hair, grey eyes and standing at 2.7ft (85cm) tall.

He is said to weigh around 33lbs.

It's not yet clear if an international arrest warrant has been issued for the mother, who has also not been named publicly.

The appeal has been launched on behalf of Spanish authorities and the National Centre for Missing Persons and are asking for members of the public to come forward with any information.

"Oliver disappeared on July 4 2025," the appeal stated. It's understood the boy's father made the missing person's report on 7 August.

"His date of birth is November 3 2021. He was three when he disappeared. The place he disappeared from is Marbella in the province of Malaga. He has grey eyes, blonde hair, stands 85 centimetres tall and weighs 15kg."

Details of the youngster's custody agreement are not known (CNDES)

Anyone who knows Oliver's whereabouts or has relevant information has been urged to contact the National Police on 091 or call 116000, the hotline for missing children cases.

"Citizen collaboration is crucial in these cases," the statement added.