New evidence is coming to light regarding the disappearance of little Ben Needham, as the path opens for the release of previously classified case files. His mother, Kerry Needham, has taken a significant step toward recovering the forgotten documents, which she believes contain crucial information dating back to her son’s disappearance nearly 35 years ago. As she states, this is likely her “last chance” to learn what happened to her child – whom she fears was abducted by child trafficking networks and subsequently given up for illegal adoption.
Ben was just 21 months old when he disappeared on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991. The family had moved there from Britain for a fresh start, close to Kerry’s parents and brother who already lived on the island. Kerry, 53, from Sheffield, reported that South Yorkshire Police – which has coordinated the investigation from the beginning – recently informed her that they were limiting their involvement in the case. However, after a meeting she had on Wednesday with service officials, she was told it was a “misunderstanding” and that the police’s stance was not changing. Meanwhile, she has begun contacts with a private investigation company based in Greece.
Unearthed case files could FINALLY prove what happened to missing Ben Needham https://t.co/I34Q9dHyYu
— The Irish Sun (@IrishSunOnline) June 7, 2026
New investigation into missing Ben: witness testimonies
The company, she explains, contacted her unexpectedly and assured her they could gain access to the files held by Kos local police – documents that Kerry has been trying to secure since 2016.
Speaking to British newspaper The Sun, she said: “They told me there would be no problem. They can start from the beginning, examine the Greek police files and study everything that’s been done – something that has never happened until now.”
As she reported, the two senior South Yorkshire Police officers she met assured her that copies of “all the documents they have” have been sent to the Greek authorities. Despite this, she says she cannot understand why she is not allowed access to the evidence.
“Since 2016 I’ve been asking to be given the files,” she said. “I’ve never received a specific answer. Perhaps because the case remains open, there are protocols that don’t allow disclosure.”
She continued: “I never asked the Greek police for them – I suppose they would be in Greek anyway, so I couldn’t read them, and they would need to be translated, which is something the private detectives can help with.”
She understands specifically that the archives will include statements given by several key witnesses, as well as notes and investigation directions recorded by local detectives immediately after Ben’s disappearance.
Kerry also states that she wants to see “exactly what happened during the operation, which witnesses spoke and what they testified.” As she notes, “for years they’ve told me I should have access to the files, but I still haven’t seen them.”
She considers it essential that certain testimonies be repeated due to “inconsistencies,” while she wishes to locate former officers who participated in the 1990s investigations, whom – she claims – Greek authorities no longer allow British police to approach.
“These people are aging, they’re now in their 70s,” she says. “If they pass away, whatever they know will be lost with them. We must act before it’s too late.”
Kerry hopes that the private investigation team, which she estimates will need about 20,000 euros for the investigation – an amount she’s trying to raise through GoFundMe – will be able to locate and speak with key figures in the case.
“It’s the only thing I’ve never done,” she states. “Private detectives don’t have more authority than the police, but they’re not bound by the same protocols and bureaucracy. They can go straight to the source.”
Kerry, who is awaiting DNA test results from a man adopted in the US who believes he might be Ben, is convinced her son was abducted by a child trafficking ring. As she explains, there is “no evidence” proving he was killed in an accident or murdered.
“Based on what I’ve learned in 35 years, it’s more likely to be an abduction,” she says. “In the 1990s, and even earlier, there were many illegal adoptions from Greece to New York. Thousands of children had been adopted illegally.”
According to what she reported, her father, Eddie Needham, had heard from locals that Ben “was almost certainly abducted,” as “because of his blonde hair and blue eyes he could have brought in at least 50,000 euros.”
Kerry draws hope from recent cases of missing children found alive after decades, such as Christina Marie Plant and Audrey Backenberg. “These things happen,” she emphasizes. “It’s terrifying, but it’s reality.”
“If these witnesses die, the truths and lies will be lost with them,” she adds. “This case has consumed my life. Since I was 19 I’ve lived with this and I’m not going to stop or give up.”
