Ben Needham - Introduction to the case.Ben Needham aged just 21 months disappeared from the surrounds of his grandparents home on the Greek island of Kos on 24 July 1991. Despite numerous reported sightings over the years, no trace of the toddler has ever been found. Bens disappearance is one of the longest missing persons cases in British history.
Toddler Ben Needham who disappeared from the Island of Kos in 1991.Ben and his parents had been on a working holiday to Kos when he went missing. They were staying with Ben's maternal grandparents who had some time earlier emigrated to the island.
On the day of his disappearance Ben had been left in the care of his grandparents while his mother went to work at a local hotel. He was last seen playing outside the farmhouse which the family were renovating when at approximately 2.30pm the adults realised that he had disappeared.
The family first searched for Ben assuming that he had wandered off, or that their teenage son, Stephen, had taken him out on his moped. When no trace of the boy could be found in the immediate area, the Greek police were notified. The police for their part were suspicious and delayed putting out a child abduction alert as they took time to question everyone.
