The mother of Ben Needham, who vanished from the Greek island of Kos 35 years ago, is nervously awaiting DNA test results on a man who believes he could be her son. Kerry Needham said photographs sent to her bear an 'uncanny' resemblance to her family and to age-progression images of Ben.
Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he disappeared on July 24, 1991. Despite one of the longest missing person investigations in British history, including two excavations at the farmhouse where he was last seen, his whereabouts remain unknown. Recent claims have linked his disappearance to illegal adoption networks in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.
Kerry was contacted by a woman who said her adopted boyfriend 'looks exactly like this future drawing' and was 'supposedly adopted in 1993.' The woman claimed her boyfriend has always had questions about his adoption and that his adoptive parents refused to give him his birth certificate. 'There are too many coincidences to ignore this,' she wrote.
Reacting to the development, Kerry said: 'This is another mystery email from a similar area and sounds pretty genuine. This man was adopted. I'm not going to sit here and get my hopes up but there are similarities.' She added that the man has agreed to provide a DNA sample but does not want publicity.
The DNA test will be arranged through Interpol, a process that could take weeks. Kerry said: 'It's an anxious time, you are on edge, waiting. We have been down this road before and I feel for the person in question as they have not been down this road before. He must be nervous.'
Kerry urged the public to visit Ben's website (findbenneedham.com) and look at photos to see if they can help solve the mystery. 'We want him to know that he is not alone in this,' she said. 'We will continue to do everything we can to support him.'
