Mother of Sheffield's missing Ben Needham marks his birthday after 35 year search
On what would be his 37th birthday, mum Kerry said she's as determined as ever to find the truth.
The mum of Sheffield's Ben Needham shared a heartbreaking birthday message to her missing son 35 years after his disappearance.
Ben Needham was only 21 months old when he vanished on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991.
2026 has seen his loved ones mark 35 years since his disappearance, the sad passing of Ben’s grandfather Eddie, as well as a feature on the Disney+ series ‘20/20 Britain’s Most Notorious Crime Investigations ‘ in July.
On October 29, on what would be his 37th birthday, his mum Kerry said she's as determined as ever to find the truth, in an interview with ITV Calendar.
She told the broadcaster: "To this day, it doesn't matter how much time's gone past, how many years have gone past, the love for my son keeps driving me forward.
"My campaign begging people to help me find the answers that I need - that is just a mother's love for her child that will never ever go away."
Kerry is currently fundraising to hire a private investigator to re-examine the case, and has so far raised over £10,000. This is reportedly enough to fund the private investigation team, and another £7,000 for legal representation to access “vital unseen files”.
She told ITV: "I believe that Ben's case needs to be looked at by a professional, you know, who knows exactly what they're doing.
"This private detective company that has contacted me is a very, very good company. They've just solved a case after 17 years in Greece.
"I believe that they can really open this case wide open."
On the day Ben disappeared, he was playing outside a farmhouse his grandfather was renovating while his mum, Kerry, worked at a nearby hotel.
The family had moved to the island earlier in 1991 for a new life.
Over the decades, numerous people have come forward believing they could be Ben themselves, but to no avail.
Kerry’s searches have explored a theory that Ben was “illegally adopted” by a criminal gang seeking to traffic and sell children to families overseas. Her enquiries reportedly led her to meet an elderly man who was trafficked from Greece to New York as a baby.