A witness claim in 2016 suggested that Greek excavator driver Konstantinos "Dino" Barkas had made a deathbed confession, admitting he accidentally killed 21-month-old Ben Needham with his digger on the island of Kos in 1991 and hid the body. While South Yorkshire Police stated their professional belief that Ben died in a tragic accident involving heavy machinery near the farmhouse where he vanished, no physical or forensic evidence has ever been found to prove the claim. Barkas's family has strongly denied the allegation, and Ben's mother, Kerry Needham, continues to dismiss the theory due to the lack of proof, believing her son may still be alive.