Police searching for missing toddler Ben Needham on the Greek island of Kos have found items of “slight interest” – including fabric – following an initial excavation of a site close to where he was last seen.
A 19-strong team of South Yorkshire police officers, forensic specialists and an archaeologist have been scouring an arid stretch of farmland where 21-month-old Ben was playing a quarter of a century ago.
Digger teams were brought in on Monday afternoon to break up the clay-like ground.
It was the first day of a fresh excavation at the site following new evidence that the Sheffield toddler may have been killed and buried there, yards from where he vanished while his grandfather was renovating a property.
DI Jon Cousins, from South Yorkshire police, said the team – joined by local search and rescue volunteers – had made good progress in recovering potential evidence.
He said: “We found, as expected, a vast number of bones yesterday. Each one was examined immediately, and each one was discounted there and then as being an animal bone.
“There are some other items that are of slight interest – the odd piece of fabric. That is being analysed and looked at, but there is slight interest.
“Everything is being carefully looked at.”
He added: “We want to make sure: do they or do they not relate to any of the items Ben was wearing on that day?”
The toddler was wearing a white and green shirt and a pair of leather sandals on the day he went missing – 24 July 1991.
The items have been forensically collected and photographs sent to colleagues back in the UK before deciding on whether they require further examination and testing.
Cousins, the senior investigating officer, said: “We got ahead of time which meant we got digging a little bit earlier than I expected.
“So far it is going better than to plan, which I’m pleased about.”
Examination of the site, about two miles (3.2km) east of the Greek island’s historic town centre, is expected to last for at least a week.
