What happened to Ben Needham? It’s been close to 24 years since the child vanished from the Greek island of Kos while vacationing with his family in 1991. UK Crimestoppers reports that a new reward is being offered for information, in the amount of £10,000, but will the new efforts attract any new leads? The missing lad would be a 25-year-old man now, but since he’s never been located it’s hard to predict with any certainty if he’ll ever be found at all. Nonetheless, the search for him continues and his mother remains determined as ever to find him.

Nearly a quarter of a century has passed in the disappearance of Ben Needham, but authorities in Greece and Britain are still doing what they can with the assistance of his mother. The Yorkshire Post reports that the new reward isn’t the only big update in the case. In fact, police investigators have been granted an additional £700,000 to continue searching for the young man. This comes as wonderful news to his loved ones, especially since so much time and money has been dedicated to other missing children’s cases — such as the search for Madeleine McCann, which has cost taxpayers more than £10 Million.

When Ben Needham vanished, his family was vacationing on the island of Kos — a fact that has shared comparisons with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished over 15 years after he did. The circumstances of his disappearance have led to speculation that child trafficking rings could be responsible for the disappearances of children who travel abroad with their families in Europe and worldwide.

Kerry Needham, the Ben’s mother, has been a champion for her missing son. She has endured close to 24 years of uncertainty while reliving the days of his disappearance time and time again. Most recently she traveled to Greece to test the DNA of a man who may have been her long-lost son. Unfortunately, the results were negative. Nonetheless, she continues to make statements demanding answers and pleading for some kind of closure in his case.

“My family and I will not rest until we uncover what happened to Ben and I believe that someone out there knows what happened to him – I would urge them to please get in touch with police.”

Will Ben Needham ever be found? This is one of the longest missing cold cases to captivate Britain, and has competed with the disappearance of Maddie for equal attention from the public, the press, and the police. Hopefully, another 24 years won’t pass by without some kind of closure and justice in this boy’s mysterious disappearance.

[Photo: Family photo via ITV]