Ben Needham: Family of Sheffield boy say there's no proof he's dead, as they offer £7,500 reward

The family of a Sheffield boy who went missing say there is still no proof he is dead - seven years after police ended their search for him.

They have offered a £7,500 reward for information leading to the discovery of Ben Needham, who was just 21 months old when he vanished on the Greek island of Kos in 1991.

South Yorkshire Police believe Ben died in a tragic accident involving a digger, but his body has never been found and his family have not given up hope of finding him alive.

Today, Saturday, October 14, on what they said was the seventh anniversary of police ending their search on Kos and concluding Ben had probably died in an accident on the day he disappeared, Ben's family issued an emotional appeal for information.

"Since that day (seven years ago), DNA evidence was taken from the items recovered from the search," they said in a statement on the Help Find Ben Needham Facebook page.

"Decomposed blood was found on one of those items. The DNA did not belong to Ben. There is no proof that Ben has died. We will never stop searching.

'Someone out there knows exactly where Ben is'

"Somebody out there knows exactly where Ben is and what happened that day. It's never too late to do the right thing."

They added: "This is not how it ends. It will only end when Ben is home. To anyone who knows what happened to Ben or where he is now, please do the right thing.

"This is not about making someone pay for what happened - the law states its too late for that - it's just about bringing Ben home to his family. 100 per cent confidentiality guaranteed."

Ben's family believed the body of a boy found in a German river could have been him, after facial reconstruction images showed a similarity, but police said last month that DNA tests showed there was no match.

Ben's family urged anyone who knows anything to contact South Yorkshire Police, or to get in touch with them directly via the Help Find Ben Needham Facebook page or by emailing [email protected].