Ben Needham: Missing toddler may have died in digger accident

The British mother of a 21-month-old toddler who went missing in Greece more than two decades ago says she has been told by police that he may been crushed to death by a digger in a tragic accident.

Ben Needham from Sheffield vanished during a trip with his mother to his grandparents' home on the island of Kos in 1991. A long-running police investigation has heralded no clues – until now.

"For 25 years Kerry Needham has clung to the hope that her missing son Ben is still alive," the Daily Mirror reports.

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"But when police officers this time arrived at her home, she knew by their demeanour they were not bringing her the good news she longed for."

South Yorkshire Police told her to "prepare for the worst" and said they are returning to two sites to excavate, following a tip-off after a fresh appeal to Kos residents earlier this year.

Lead investigator detective­superintendent Matt Fenwick said: "We continue to keep an open mind and have updated Ben's family about certain lines of enquiry we're currently exploring."

He added that a "dedicated policing team continues to work extremely hard to find answers for his family and keep them fully informed and supported throughout the investigation".

According to Needham, a friend of a digger driver, who has since died, told police that the workman might have been responsible for the accidental death.

"A variety of theories as to Ben's fate and reported sightings have arisen since his disappearance," says The Independent.

Needham told the Daily Mirror: "My mother's instinct has always told me he was alive. I have spent all these years desperately hoping for that fairytale ending and for Ben to walk through that door. Now the horrible reality is Ben could be dead and he could have been dead all these years."

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Needham spoke of her anger and sadness that the person had not come forward with the information sooner.

"It could have ended this 25 years ago," she told the programme. "I could have grieved. You'll never forget your child but at least I would have known where he was."

She tearfully added: "I could have done something with my life instead of putting it on hold. I could have even forgiven him then."