Father Alex Crow is hunted by police after heartbreaking Alabama priest, once expelled, flees to Italy with an 18-year-old woman he GROOMED

A heartbroken priest is being hunted by police over claims he nursed an 18-year-old girl while working at the school where she studied before fleeing to Italy with her.

Father Alex Crow, praised online for his good looks and who once claimed he was the subject of a “little exorcism,” is on the run with a former student of McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile, Alabama.

During an initial investigation, police discovered a love letter between 30-year-old Crow and the Valentine’s teen when she was still in high school. The teen, who has not been identified, graduated last May as a member of the class of 2023.

“There was clearly a different relationship than a priest and a student,” said Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch.

The Archdiocese of Mobile fired Crow, a former rock musician, in July after he left his post at Corpus Christi Catholic Church on the outskirts of the city.

At the time of writing, Crow and the teen remain in Europe and apparently have no plans to return. She allegedly told relatives that she is happy and asked them to leave her alone.

Female fans online have raved about Crow’s brooding appearance, with one Facebook commenter writing, “He’s cute,” and another adding, “He was a handsome priest.”

In a statement, Burch said the former priest and frontman of the rock band may have brought the young woman to Italy to attempt an exorcism.

The sheriff said Crow has a fascination with demons and exorcism, which is supported by the former priest’s own words during sessions.

“Former McGill-Toolen students told (a local newspaper) that Crow would talk to classes about demons and exorcisms.” according to a report.

Crow himself is a graduate of McGill-Toolen and later attended a seminary called St. Joseph before earning his Master of Divinity degree in Indiana.

The departed clergyman also went to Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, Italy, where he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and studied demons and exorcisms in depth.

In lectures posted online, Crow discussed his fascination with possession and other supernatural encounters in great detail.

“I grew up in a weird house, both familial, but also a lot of weird things happen in the house,” he said during a podcast appearance in July 2022.

“You could hear things moving or banging in different rooms. I occasionally saw things as a kid, always assuming I was a little hyper or just looking into things too much,” Crow said at the time.

The former Church member also described a time when he had health problems such as chest pain and migraines. He said the cause could not be determined.

Crow claimed that he underwent a “little exorcism” and that he initially had a “negative reaction,” but that he “felt better right away when it was over.”

The young woman’s parents were due to hold a press conference on Thursday, but canceled the event out of fear for their daughter’s safety.

“They’re afraid something is going to happen to their daughter,” attorney Christine Hernandez told NBC 15 News.

“She’s with someone the sheriff considers a predator,” she said.

After the couple was discovered in Italy, the young woman reportedly told a relative that “she went with him of her own free will.”

She also claimed that there was no romantic relationship between them and that they were staying in separate bedrooms.

In a July 26 statement from the Archdiocese of Mobile, officials said Crow had “resigned his assignment in the diocese” and was exhibiting behavior “totally inappropriate for a priest.”

Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi told Crow that “he may no longer serve as a priest, nor tell people he is a priest, nor dress as a priest.”

The archdiocese said at the time “due to the circumstances of his departure, we have reported this to the prosecutor.”

He had been ordained as a priest only two years earlier, in June 2021.

Before joining the Church, Crow led a band called ‘Alex Crow & The Altar Boys’, which played in the Mobile, Alabama area.

Burch and other officials have said they are continuing the investigation and looking for any additional victims of the former priest.

The law officer says more female students may be involved.

Some online have claimed that because of his good looks, the priest was able to get away with possible indiscretions.

In a statement to local media, the Mobile District Attorney’s Office said they are cooperating with the sheriff’s office in the investigation.

“This is an active investigation, so we are limited in what we can say to protect the integrity of the investigation,” an official said.

“The circumstances surrounding this case are concerning, and it has the full attention of the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office,” the statement said.