Ben Needham, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he disappeared on the Greek island of Kos.<\/p>\n
An “item” believed to have been in Ben’s possession at the time has been found during fresh searches.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police said the current line of inquiry, that Ben was killed accidentally, was the most probable cause of the boy’s disappearance.<\/p>\n
Det Insp Jon Cousins, who is leading the inquiry, said: “During the course of the inquiries we have made over the last 19 months, we have closed off a large number of theories about what happened to Ben, many of which have been open for over 20 years.<\/p>\n
“My team and I know that machinery, including a large digger, was used to clear an area of land on 24 July 1991, behind the farmhouse that was being renovated by the Needhams.<\/p>\n
“It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result of an accident near to the farmhouse in Iraklis where he was last seen playing.”<\/p>\n
A friend of a digger driver, who was clearing land with an excavator on the day the toddler went missing, said the digger driver may have been responsible for Ben’s death.<\/p>\n
The driver, Konstantinos Barkas, died of cancer in 2015.<\/p>\n
A team of 19 South Yorkshire Police officers, forensic specialists, an archaeologist and search and rescue personnel have spent 21 days digging near the farmhouse and a second site 750m away.<\/p>\n
Det Insp Cousins said an item, found on Saturday close to another item dated to 1991, had been shown to the Needham family.<\/p>\n
“It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben’s possession around the time he went missing,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The recovery of this item, and its location, further adds to my belief that material was removed from the farmhouse on or shortly after the day that Ben disappeared.”<\/p>\n
The item is believed to be a yellow toy car.<\/p>\n
The Needham family, who have long believed Ben may have been abducted, have been fully informed of the force’s findings.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the Daily Mirror before the police briefing, Ben’s mother, Kerry Needham, said: “They know he’s dead but just can’t find him.<\/p>\n
“Police said it’s time we ended our 25-year search. They are right but I can’t say goodbye knowing he’s still on that island somewhere. I feel physically sick. I can’t feel any worse than I do.”<\/p>\n
“Someone knows where he is. For God’s sake, help me find him. We know he’s dead but we need to find him. When someone dies you find a special place.”<\/p>\n
Det Insp Cousins said: “Our thoughts are with the family as they are given time to digest this and they have our full and continued support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"