Ben Needham: UK Police Drop Greece Disappearance Probe

Ben, from Sheffield, was conscionable 21 months aged erstwhile helium went missing successful July 1991. Public Domain

UK constabulary announced it has stopped investigations into the disappearance of Ben Needham, the toddler who vanished connected Greece’s land of Kos 35 years ago.

Ben, from Sheffield, was conscionable 21 months aged erstwhile helium went missing successful July 1991, portion staying astatine a farmhouse with his grandparents. His mother, Kerry Needham, who was moving astatine a section edifice astatine the time, has spent the past 35 years searching for answers.

Years of probe for Ben Needham

1991: Initial inquiries failed to find Ben, and investigators primitively suspected helium had been kidnapped.

2012: Following household complaints regarding the archetypal handling of the case, the Home Office granted SYP £700,000 to reopen the investigation. Land excavations connected Kos yielded nary DNA evidence.

2016: British detectives returned to Kos for a subsequent three-week search, but nary hint of the toddler was ever found.

Greece takes implicit the investigations

According to The Mirror, Kerry Needham was notified of the determination via a video telephone with her household liaison officer, an acquisition she described arsenic “devastating” and leaving her “heartbroken and sobbing.” The UK constabulary informed her that aboriginal inquiries are present solely the work of the Greek authorities.

In a connection to The Independent, South Yorkshire Police clarified that portion Greek authorities “have afloat primacy implicit the investigation,” the UK unit volition proceed “to allocate assets to Ben’s case, successful the signifier of a Family Liaison Officer and a detective acting arsenic a azygous constituent of contact.”

“A devastating measurement backwards”

Ms. Needham fears that shifting the entirety of the operational load to Greek police—whom she believes “have lone ever wanted this lawsuit to spell away”—will efficaciously extremity the hunt for her son.

“South Yorkshire are the lone ones I tin trust connected to marque definite that accusation goes to the close place,” Ms. Needham said, noting that determination are inactive avenues near to explore. “It volition halt maine from getting to the truth… If my constabulary are taken distant from me, what americium I going to bash with that information? All of my blood, sweat, and tears would person been for nothing.”

Related: Man Claims He’s Missing Toddler Ben Needham Who Disappeared successful Greece