Sheffield mum of missing Ben Needham sends message to police after Madeline McCann search
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Ben was 21 months old when he vanished on the Greek island of Kos in 1991.
The toddler was playing outside a remote farmhouse his grandparents were renovating when he disappeared.
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Hide AdHe had travelled to Kos with his mum, Kerry, who wanted to start a new life closer to where her parents Eddie and Christine had moved to.
In October 2016, South Yorkshire Police announced that detectives believed Ben died as a result of an accident close to where he was last seen alive.
Investigations established that on the day Ben disappeared, a digger had been clearing land nearby.
A new Facebook post on the Find Ben Needham page stresses that his family ‘will never give up’ on the search for Ben.
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Hide AdIt says: “It is now four years to the day since South Yorkshire Police ended their search on Kos and released the information that their professional conclusion is that Ben was involved in an accident and most probably died on the day he disappeared.
“This does not mean that the search for Ben ended there.”
Ben’s mum, Kerry, added: “We will never give up on our search.”
In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Kerry questioned why South Yorkshire Police has not continued with the search in the way the Metropolitan Police has for missing child Madeleine McCann, who some detectives also believe to be dead.
South Yorkshire Police have spent around £1 million on the investigation into Ben’s disappearance, compared to £12 million by the Met since Madeline disappeared in Portugal in 2007.
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Hide AdKerry said: “I feel like Ben has been forgotten. I am pleased for the McCann family that their loss is taken seriously. But I feel hurt they don’t think my son is worth hunting for.”
South Yorkshire Police said: “Should any new viable lines of enquiry come to light, we may explore the need to apply to the Home Office for additional funding.
"However based on current information and our professional opinion that Ben was killed in a tragic accident, we do not currently have plans to do so.”