The Guardian — A team of British police officers is heading for the Greek island of Kos to look for new witnesses in the search for Ben Needham, who went missing as a toddler almost 25 years ago.
Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he vanished on 24 July 1991 after travelling to the island with his mother and grandparents.
Over the years there have been a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to the youngster, who would now be 26. Earlier this year, South Yorkshire police announced that they had received extra funding from the Home Office to help in the search.
The official campaign to find Ben, headed by his mother, Kerry, confirmed that a team of officers would fly to Kos on Tuesday.
In a statement, Help Find Ben Needham said 10 officers were travelling to the island hoping to “find new witnesses as they urge islanders to come forward with any information which might help the case”. It said the officers would give a press conference at the farmhouse from where Ben went missing.
He had been taken to the site, in Irakles, by his grandmother, Christine Needham, to visit his grandfather, who was helping to renovate the run-down building.
Ms Needham said: “We believe someone on Kos does know something – and if they do please come forward. It doesn’t matter how insignificant they think it is – if they have information, let the police know.”
In January last year, South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner, Alan Billings, secured £700,000 of special funding from the Home Office to allow the South Yorkshire force to commit further resources to the investigation into Ben’s disappearance. This year, a further £450,000 was approved by the home secretary.
The Home Office backed a South Yorkshire police operation in 2012 when land was excavated on Kos, near the farmhouse from where Ben went missing. No trace of the boy was found.
In 2014, police asked the Home Office for special grant funding to follow up information the family believed had never been properly investigated.
In May last year, Ben’s mother, sister and grandmother travelled to Greece with detectives to make a direct appeal on a Greek television show about missing people.
Police have investigated a number of new lines of inquiry as a result of the programme and the ongoing investigation into the toddler’s disappearance.
