Ben Needham: Family of Sheffield boy who went missing 31 years ago given hope by 'miracle' reunion

Ben was just 21 months old when he vanished during a family holiday on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991. His body has never been discovered and although police believe he died that day in a tragic accident involving a digger, his mum, Kerry Needham, has never given up believing he may be found alive.

Now a woman who went missing at almost exactly the same age as Ben has reportedly been reunited with her relatives 51 years after she disappeared from her family home in Texas, USA. Melissa Highsmith’s brother told how the family was ‘overjoyed with happiness’ at finally finding her all these years later, news outlets in the US have reported.

The amazing story was shared via the Help Find Ben Needham Facebook page, which was set up by his family to keep the search for him alive. “Wonderful news about #MelissaHighsmith,” the post said. “Melissa was abducted at 22 months old. Miracles can and do happen. We pray for our own miracle soon.”

Ben’s family have pointed out how only a toy car believed to be in his possession on the day he disappeared and a piece of leather which could have come from his sandal were ever found at the site where police believe he died, and blood found on the toy car did not match Ben’s DNA.

They were given fresh hope last year when new witnesses came forward to say they had seen a boy matching Ben’s description around the time he disappeared. They say a potential sighting in Corfu that summer, when a young girl is said to have found a child crying on the beach, still needs to be properly investigated.

On the anniversary of Ben’s disappearance earlier this year, his family made a fresh plea for people to share any piece of information, no matter how slight it may seem, that might help bring their years of searching to an end. “It's never too late to do the right thing," they said at the time, adding: “Please keep sharing Ben's story. Somebody knows.”

For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/helpfindben.