Toddler Stolen On Greek Holiday in 1991: German Police Find Boys' Body in River

[Ladybbird]

Ben Needham: DNA Experts Called in as Body of Boy Discovered in River is 'NOT German'

Interpol do not believe the remains of a boy found in a river last year are that of a German child, as Ben Needhams' mother said she was "pleased" investigations are ongoing

BBC 7 SEP 2023





Ben Needham vanished from the Greek island Kos in 1991.




Police seek help identifying childs' body found in German river... A facial reconstruction of the child





The family of a boy missing since 1991 have been dealt fresh hope in the search as Interpol officers gave an update about a body found in a German river. Bens' mother Kerry has never given up hope





Ben Needham was 21 months old when he vanished from Greek island Kos in 1991 when his grandparents were looking after him. His mother, Kerry, has never given up hope her son will one day be found. She earlier alerted South Yorkshire Police as the body of a young child was found in the River Danube a year ago in western Germany.

Now DNA experts from Interpol have revealed they do not believe the remains of the boy - found last May in Grossmehring, Bavaria - were that of a German.

Kerry said: “I’m pleased they are looking into it. Every possibility has to be investigated and ruled out. Our hope is that one day one piece of information will come forward which will uncover the truth."

Interpol said the boy was found wrapped in foil in the River Danube, weighed down with a flagstone slab on 19 May 2022. The international police agency said it had been inundated with calls after a recreation of the deceased boy showed a 'likeness' to missing Ben.

Interpol DNA Database Manager Francois-Xavier Laurent said on Tuesday: "We have received 33 tips from the public." He added: "We can now assume that this boy was probably not German."
This week South Yorkshire Police told the Mirror they were aware of Interpol's Black Notice and would look into it. Kerry said officers from the force have Ben’s DNA and her daughter’s DNA available if they need it to rule a link out.


Still desperate for answers, the mum has been researching child trafficking and says it was "rife" at the time of Bens' disappearance.

She claims her family was told by a stranger that Ben "had been sold" but says the Greek police at the time never investigated it.


Interpol published details of the case in hopes of finding the boy's name and determining "the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death". He was around 3ft 6ins tall and weighed around two stone four lbs with brown hair and type O blood.

Referring to the discovery in Germany, Kerry added: “Tying a concrete slab to that child’s chest is one way of disposing of a child who has been used and abused for as long as these people possibly can. We got sent an email with the link about this body being found in Germany. Since then we’ve had lots of comments about it too with other people saying the same - the reconstruction has a look of Ben.


"It’s only a model and it sounds really strange but there are kind of similarities but there are lots of little boys four or five who resemble Ben. Where Bens’ case is concerned though, I will not rule anything out until I get the evidence to prove what happened.

I’ve always said all along that I don’t believe he’s died. I have not got that feeling.”