The British mother of a 21-month-old toddler who went missing in Greece more than two decades ago says she has been told by police that he may been crushed to death by a digger in a tragic accident.
Ben Needham from Sheffield vanished during a trip with his mother to his grandparents' home on the island of Kos in 1991. A long-running police investigation has heralded no clues – until now.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"But when police officers this time arrived at her home, she knew by their demeanour they were not bringing her the good news she longed for."
South Yorkshire Police told her to "prepare for the worst" and said they are returning to two sites to excavate, following a tip-off after a fresh appeal to Kos residents earlier this year.
Lead investigator detectivesuperintendent Matt Fenwick said: "We continue to keep an open mind and have updated Ben's family about certain lines of enquiry we're currently exploring."
He added that a "dedicated policing team continues to work extremely hard to find answers for his family and keep them fully informed and supported throughout the investigation".
According to Needham, a friend of a digger driver, who has since died, told police that the workman might have been responsible for the accidental death.
"A variety of theories as to Ben's fate and reported sightings have arisen since his disappearance," says The Independent.
Needham told the Daily Mirror: "My mother's instinct has always told me he was alive. I have spent all these years desperately hoping for that fairytale ending and for Ben to walk through that door. Now the horrible reality is Ben could be dead and he could have been dead all these years."
Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Needham spoke of her anger and sadness that the person had not come forward with the information sooner.
"It could have ended this 25 years ago," she told the programme. "I could have grieved. You'll never forget your child but at least I would have known where he was."
She tearfully added: "I could have done something with my life instead of putting it on hold. I could have even forgiven him then."
-
What does occupying Gaza accomplish for Israel?Talking Points Risking a 'strategic dead-end' in fight against Hamas
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monumentsSpeed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
'This is a coordinated campaign of harassment'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
