A British mom whose little boy went missing 33 years ago has shared a major update after a man claiming to be her son took a DNA test.
Ben Needham was just 21 months old when he vanished from the Greek island of Kos in 1991, when he was on vacation with his mom, Kerry, to visit his grandparents.
The toddler was last seen at the family’s farmhouse, which was undergoing renovations at the time, but despite an extensive search of the building and surrounding areas the young boy has never been found.
Authorities have conducted extensive searches around the farmhouse (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Kerry has been holding out hope that her son, who would now be 34, would one day return, and earlier this year it seemed there could be a break in the case.
In July, South Yorkshire Police revealed that a man in Denmark had approached authorities and expressed belief that he was the missing Ben Needham.
The man claimed he had been told by his grandparents that he’d been taken from Kos, and that he once visited a market and heard someone shouting ‘Ben’.
After that incident, he claimed he was kept inside in a caravan for years.
Though the man’s claims offered hope for the case, Kerry remained cautious as he wasn’t the first person to suggest he could be her missing son.
She awaited the results of the DNA test, and has now spoken out after being given her answer.
Ben Needham would now be 34 years old (Police Handout)
According to the BBC, a spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police has confirmed that the Danish man’s DNA was not a match for Ben or Kerry.
Both the man and Kerry were informed of the results, which Kerry described as ‘disappointing’ as she spoke with The Mirror.
Kerry claimed that she had known ‘in [her] heart of hearts’ that the Danish man wasn’t Ben, but admitted there is ‘always that hope’.
“It could be someone you least expect, it’s always possible,” she said. “So this is disappointing, obviously.”
However, the mom said: “I will never give up for as long as I live.”
She has urged people to continue to share any information they may have in relation to Ben’s disappearance, saying: “We won’t let this deter us from appealing to other people to come forward, if they think they could be Ben.
“We will always take any information confidentially. Always willing to do a DNA test on anybody. The search goes on. It’s a case of rebuilding my strength and hope again, to continue with the search.“
