EXCLUSIVE: Ben Needham mum’s frantic wait for DNA results on man claiming to be missing son

Kerry Needham has an ‘anxious wait’ for a DNA test to be carried on an adopted man from America. She has been sent photographs and was surprised by the family resemblance.

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Kerry says she has an ‘anxious’ wait but is more worried about the man who has come forward(Image: Daily Mirror)

The mum of missing Ben Needham is “nervously” waiting for a DNA test on a man who suspects he could be her son, after seeing his photos which bear an ‘uncanny’ resemblance to her family.

She says the images sent to her also look like her missing son’s age progression image. Ben, from Sheffield, disappeared on the Greek island of Kos on July 24, 1991, aged 21 months. His family, including Kerry’s parents and two brothers, had moved to Kos earlier in the year to start a new life.

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. Recently police in the US have been investigating claims of a sighting, amid claims he could have been illegally adopted but their investigation had stalled.

Illegal adoption in the US during the 1980s and 1990s has been connected to international child trafficking scandals. Private adoption agencies and lawyers often bypassed regulations, matching stolen children with American parents.

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Ben Needham vanished on July 24th 1991 on the Greek island of Kos(Image: Daily Mirror)

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Now Kerry has been contacted by a woman claiming her boyfriend could be one of those illegally adopted children. She wrote to Kerry, saying her adopted boyfriend ‘looks exactly like this future drawing’ and explained he was ‘supposedly adopted in 1993.’

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“He has always had questions about his adoption and his adopted parents.” She claimed they wouldn’t give him his birth certificate and acted “insane” when he asked.

“I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, especially Kerry’s, but I feel like he is Ben. He is really hoping so as well…There are too many coincidences to ignore this.”

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An age progression image of Ben organised by The Mirror for his 30th birthday(Image: Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)

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. There are things not quite right about it, it can’t be ignored. It probably isn’t Ben but this is again out of the blue and again it’s America.

“More and more lately there have been some bizarre links with the US. He has agreed to have his DNA taken but doesn’t want any publicity.”

Now Kerry may be facing weeks of waiting for Interpol to arrange the DNA test.

“The next step is to hopefully obtain a DNA sample through a request via Interpol. This process can take time, but we are grateful that things are now moving forward again and that there is still a path towards getting the answers we’ve all been hoping for.

“Out of respect for his privacy and well-being, we won’t be sharing any personal details about him. What matters most is making sure he feels supported and protected throughout this process.

“We want him to know that he is not alone in this. We will continue to do everything we can to support him and help guide this process in the most respectful and careful way possible.

“Thank you to everyone who continues to follow, care, and offer support to our family. We’ve been here many times before. It’s an anxious time, you are on edge, waiting.

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Kerry Needham with her mum Christine break down in floods of tears as they visits the farmhouse where Ben was last seen (Image: Daily Mirror)

“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 urges anyone to take a look at Ben’s website and the photos to see if they can help put an end to her nightmare, which began 35 years ago in