The South Yorkshire children and adults who have been missing for years, including Sheffield boy Ben Needham

The case of Sheffield boy Ben Needham, who has been missing since 1991, hit the headlines again after a body was found in Germany.

DNA tests ultimately proved the body discovered wrapped in foil in the River Danube was not that of Ben, who was just 21 months old when he vanished during a family holiday on the Greek island of Kos.

As the search for Ben continues, there are other children and adults from South Yorkshire who have also been missing for years and whose families have not given up hope of finding them.

Below is the latest on the cases of four missing people, including two who disappeared when they were children, who have not been seen or heard from since at least 2021.

Ben Needham

Sheffield toddler Ben Needham was just 21 months old when he vanished on the Greek island of Kos. Police think he died on July 24, 1991 in a tragic accident involving heavy machinery. But his body has never been discovered and his mum, Kerry Needham, still believes more than 30 years later that he may be found alive.

She asked police to investigate after the body of a boy, who looked like Ben from the facial reconstruction images which were released, was found in a river in Germany. She spoke of her 'relief' at being told the DNA was not a match, but she is still seeking answers.

Ben's family had been given fresh hope when Greek authorities confirmed in 2021 that they were following up information from new witnesses about a possible sighting in Corfu, where a young girl reportedly found a child on a beach, in the summer of 1991.

The Help Find Ben Needham group set up by his family, which frequently shares missing person appeals for other families, has published pictures of Ben as it is believed he would look today and wants to offer a £10,000 reward for information leading to his discovery.

To donate, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/reward4ben.

Andrew Gosden

Gifted student Andrew Gosden was just 14 years old when he went missing from his home in Balby, Doncaster, in 2007.

He boarded a train on September 14 that year, having withdrawn £200 from his bank account, and was last seen at Kings Cross station in London later that day.

Multiple appeals to find Andrew over the years yielded little information before in January 2022, South Yorkshire Police confirmed that, assisted by officers from the Metropolitan Police, they had detained two men, aged 45 and 38, on December 8, 2021, in connection with Andrew’s disappearance. Both men were released under investigation and in July this year, police said the men were still being investigated, 18 months after first being quizzed.

On the 16th anniversary of Andrew's disappearance, South Yorkshire Police issued a fresh appeal for information and shared new photos showing how it is believed he may look today, along with images of his distinctive right ear. They also revealed that Andrew is deaf in his left ear and has poor eyesight, meaning he needs to wear glasses or contact lenses.

Police said in a statement: "By providing details about his appearance we are hoping to spark a conversation between friends or people that might know him as the 30 year old man he is today. Does someone you know have gaps in their life history?

"Do you know someone with a distinctive double ridge on their right ear? Is there someone in your life, your street, or your community that might be Andrew?"

There is a dedicated Missing People page for Andrew, where people can leave any information.

Richard Dyson

Barnsley man Richard Dyson, 58, was last seen by his daughter on Friday, November 15, 2019. When she was unable to get in touch with him afterwards she reported him missing.

The last known sighting of him was on Sunday, November 17, when he was seen walking along the A6135 Sheffield Road in Hoyland at around 11pm. A body has never been found but detectives are treating the disappearance as murder.

In March 2021 two men were arrested on suspicion of murder and released after questioning as police enquiries continued. In July 2023, the two men, then aged 69 and 70, were re-arrested on suspicion of the same offence.

Police said this month that the men had both since been bailed and remained on police bail.

Anyone who has seen Richard or knows where he might be is asked to call South Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 459 of November 25, 2019.

Joseph

Joseph (no surname has been given by police), from the Bessacarr area of Doncaster, was last seen when he checked into the Kingsway Hotel in Cleethorpes on August 15, 2021, and checked out the following day. He was aged 64 at the time.

No contact has been made with him since and it is not known whether he is still in the Humberside area or if he has returned to his home area, or back to Lincolnshire where he had previously confirmed to family and friends he was in Skegness.

He has been described by police as white, approximately 5ft 9in tall and of medium build, with short, dark hair which was greying.

CCTV images from August 16, 2021, show he was wearing a light blue jacket with dark blue sleeves, dark blue trousers and black shoes that day. He was carrying a black rucksack with two white lines down the front of it, and he had a dark blue baseball-style cap with him.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting the incident number 971 of August 25, 2021.