The mother of Ben Needham, who mysteriously disappeared in 1991, anxiously awaits the results of a DNA test from a Danish man who claims to be her long-lost son.

This Wednesday, July 24, marks the heartbreaking 33rd anniversary since Ben, aged just 21 months, was last seen on the Greek island of Kos. Sheffield-born mother Kerry is grappling with the possibility that this could be Ben, the third time this year she has found herself in this agonising wait.

Ben was last seen playing near an abandoned farmhouse, prompting decades of international searches by his desperate parents. Now a man from Denmark has come forward with a startling revelation: his grandparents have admitted he was originally taken from Kos.

READ MORE: Three major developments surrounding Jay Slater since body was found in Tenerife

He insists that despite his probing, his parents have not dismissed these claims. He recalls an incident from a quarter of a century ago, telling how someone at a market swore at Ben, leading him to believe he was being hidden in a caravan, the Mirror reports.

Meanwhile, Kerry, 51, remains cautious, having experienced similar emotional rollercoasters before. She said: “This man is looking for his real family and he has given the Danish police a sample of his DNA, which South Yorkshire Police are trying to obtain through Interpol to compare with Ben’s.”

Authorities will compare the Danish man’s DNA profile to a Guthrie heel prick blood sample collected at Boston Hospital in Lincolnshire shortly after Ben’s birth. Kerry recounted the long history of leads and alleged sightings over the past 33 years, many of which were initially pursued by the distraught family themselves.

“We’ve had DNA taken from people in Greece, Turkey, Germany and one each in Florida and Australia. But at least South Yorkshire Police are trying to give me some answers and I can’t praise them enough.”

The prevailing theory from police is that Ben may have been the victim of a tragic excavator accident, following the testimony of a witness. Unfortunately, the blood found at the crime scene in 2016 did not match Ben’s, and now the critical witness has broken off communication with authorities.

Kerry added: “You can’t end an investigation without anything to fall back on and with the claims of a man who now won’t talk.”

She further expressed the emotional toll of this prolonged uncertainty: “I can’t believe it’s been 33 years and he’s going to be 35 in October. My mom is 72 and my dad is 76. I don’t want anything to happen to my parents without them knowing.”

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In a show of empathy, Kerry also spoke of her understanding for the anguish of the family of Jay Slater, the 19-year-old whose body was found in Tenerife after being missing for more than a month. Having endured a similar ordeal, she expressed her heartfelt grief: “The only thing I can say to give them some comfort is that it is better to know, because living year after year without knowing is torture. I feel their pain.”

Additionally, Kerry condemned the online abuse directed at Jay’s mother, Debbie Duncan, and highlighted the harm caused by internet trolls. “People have been so cruel. You have no idea the heartache and pain it causes. The trolling has got to stop.”

Yet she also recognised the other side of humanity: the £66,000 raised in support of Jay’s family is a testament to the kindness that still exists in the world.