The fake post using Ben’s age progression image shows Ben as a grown man with a child on his knee, sitting next to mum Kerry
17:05, 21 Mar 2026Updated 17:09, 21 Mar 2026
Missing British toddler Ben Needham(Image: Press Association)
The police have been alerted to a “sick” post online using a mock AI photo of missing Ben Needham claiming he’s been reunited with his mum.
The fake post using Ben’s age progression image shows Ben as a grown man with a child on his knee, sitting next to mum Kerry. It reads ‘Ben Needham, finally we are together’. Another post on the same Facebook page ‘Midnight Wire’ – apparently from St Andrews in Scotland – claims it was an ‘emotional face to face’ chat with Ben and his mum after 35 years of being missing.
The post left mum Kerry Needham “distraught” and “horrified” when she saw it and has now reported it to South Yorkshire Police. Kerry told The Mirror: “When I saw the first post yesterday I was angry and immediately messaged the page and asked them to remove it as it was lies, my request was ignored and then another one was posted this morning which left me distressed and shocked that they have generated a photo of myself sitting next to my son.
Mum of missing Ben, Kerry Needham in Turkey
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“It’s heartbreaking to see that and it’s cruel that they could do such a thing. I have informed South Yorkshire Police and they are going to do what they can to have the posts removed, anyone that sees any of these posts are asked to report them and stop them from posting anything else.”
Ben’s sister Leighanna Needham, said: “Stories like this can cause serious harm to the investigation. We rely on the public to come forward with any genuine information about Ben’s whereabouts, and spreading false claims that he has been found only creates confusion and distress.
“Seeing this first thing this morning was incredibly upsetting. This kind of misinformation is not only harmful, it’s deeply irresponsible. AI can be a dangerous tool when used like this.”
Digital age progressions of how Ben Needham could look through the years(Image: findbenneedham.com)
Kerry is desperate for the age progression image to reach America to plead with the US public and is worried it could affect her search.
Kerry, 51, who now lives in Turkey is convinced her son Ben, who vanished aged 21 months from the Greek island of Kos, could have been “abducted” and sold into the illegal adoption market in the US.
The desperate mum says when she first saw the professional age progression image it took her “breath away.”
Now Kerry’s hoping it could hold the key to finding her son who has been missing since July 24th, 1991 and fears such fake images could damage their search.
She says more and more information is coming in suggesting her son may have been trafficked for adoption to the New York area.
The “incredible” age progression image was released in 2021. It was created by Tim Widden, a forensic artist listed by the National Crime Agency who works for police forces around the world.
It was organised by the Mirror to mark 30 years since his disappearance with Kerry’s permission.
The respected forensic artist created the image by using Ben’s childhood photographs and snaps from the whole family.
He also sent a full report about the image to detectives at South Yorkshire Police investigating his disappearance.
