Mum Begs Authorities to Keep Searching for Her "Forgotten" Missing Baby Boy | She's Been Waiting for Him for 29 Years

"Grief is temporary, it'll pass soon," it sounds easy but is quite difficult because the full extent of the loss is only felt by the one experiencing it. A mother, no matter how many years pass by, can never overcome the loss of a child. It's even harder when you're unaware of what would have happened to them. It's hard to imagine, right? That's exactly what Kerry Needham is going through.

It's been more than 30 years since Kerry's son, Ben Needham went missing, leaving behind lots of unanswered questions. Now she's pleading with the authorities to continue their search for her baby body.

The mother got inspired by the developments that have been made in the Madeleine McCann case and wants the same to be done in the missing case of her son too, according to Mirror. Ben was just 21 months old when Kerry lost him.

Expressing her grief, Kerry 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."

According to The Sun, it was on July 24, 1991, when Ben, who's originally from Sheffield, went missing on the Greek island of Kos. He was on the island near the family's farmhouse when he disappeared. Even though Kerry and Ben's grandparents informed the local authorities right away, and a thorough search was conducted, Ben was nowhere to be found.

Two days later, on July 26, some witnesses came forward and claimed that they had seen a kid matching Ben's description at the airport. Kerry was more than overjoyed to hear the news, however, the police could not trace him there.

Two months later, in September, they returned home from the island but they were more than determined to find their child. Kerry then pleaded authorities and the public to come forward if they have any information about Ben. When she saw no results, Kerry pleaded to the public again in October 2010, to help her find her baby boy who would've turned 21 that year.

In 2011, the case was reopened by the Greek police in the hopes of making some development but the family didn't receive any good news. In fact, in 2016, the officials asked the parents to be prepared for the worst because it was believed that Ben was "most likely" dead.

BBC reported that an item was found by the officials during the search that was believed to be in Ben's possession when he vanished. So, the South Yorkshire Police concluded that it was possible that Ben got accidentally killed by Konstantinos Barkas, the digger driver who was in the area at that time, clearing the land. However, no response could be received from Konstantinos as he has passed away in 2015 due to cancer.

Officer Jon Cousins revealed, "During the course of the inquiries we have made over the last 19 months, we have closed off a large number of theories about what happened to Ben, many of which have been open for over 20 years."

"My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991, behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams. It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing," he continued.

Finally, Kerry was informed that the search for her baby boy has been put to an end but that didn't stop her from searching for Ben. She said, "They know he's dead but just can't find him. Police said it's time we ended our 25-year search."

Understanding the authorities' point of view she added, "They are right but I can't say goodbye knowing he's still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can't feel any worse than I do," reported The Mirror. She further added, "Someone knows where he is. For God's sake, help me find him. We know he's dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place."

Demanding the government to do more for more funding to search for Ben's body as they did in the Madeleine McCann case, she said, "My child is buried somewhere and without finances, we’ll never find him. That’s unfair and heartbreaking.” Like all women have a sixth sense, Kerry too feels that it was something more than an accident. Talking to Mirror, she said, “Police tell us Ben was killed in an accident and it feels as if that’s the end of it. But it can’t be."

References:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mum-missing-ben-needham-urges-22866919

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12222970/ben-needham-new-hope-man-blue-eyes-spotted-greece/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37676268