Indeed.
If that's how the police operate - Kerry Needham must be worried to death in case the police don't find out what happened to Ben. Especially as no evidence of an abduction was found - and we only have the family's word for what happened. So what happens if no links to anyone else at all can be established? That only leaves the family.
In both these cases family and friends have been ruled out as suspects. The suggestion by some that if no perpetrators are found - the police will then conclude it was the family who did the deed is just plain silly - and is a product of major 'wishful thinking' on their part IMO.
AFAIK - taking into account the 'wishful thinking' of armchair detectives doesn't form part of a police officer's training.
Excellent summation.
As in Madeleine's case there are leads to be followed in Ben's case ... and the police will take following them to conclusion.
At the very least it is important for the families of missing children to know that everything humanly possible has been done with every lead investigated in the attempt to locate them or at least find out what may have happened to their child.
It is bad enough that the Drs McCann have suffered the trauma of losing a child but to be subjected to the vilification they have received over the past eight years is incomprehensible; particularly when much of it is intended to impede in every which way their campaigning on Madeleine's behalf.
Home Office: We will never close book on missing children like Madeline McCann and Ben NeedhamThe inquiry by South Yorkshire Police into Ben Needham’s disappearance has progressed further than expected, according to Detective Inspector Jon Cousins.
Ben vanished on Kos with his mother and grandparents who were renovating a farmhouse in the village of Iraklise.
Det Insp Cousins said: "[The Greek authorities] have given us every assistance that we require and that's allowed us to really progress this a lot further than where I thought we would be at this time.
"We're going to continue with our efforts looking in to everything that we have so far and, as we're going along, we're turning up new leads all the time that are very interesting to use.
"We're going to make sure that we pursue each and every one of those to try and find an answer for ourselves as well as for [Ben's mother] Kerry and the family."
In May, an appeal made on Greek TV led to more than 200 calls and emails being received by the force and Mr Cousins said he had plans for a similar appeal on Kos.
http://www.policeprofessional.com/news.aspx?id=24696