Jon Cousins

A UK police team probing the more than two-decade old disappearance of a British toddler on the Greek island of Kos said Monday the boy was likely killed in an accident.

However, investigators have not found the body of Ben Needham - who was 21 months old when he vanished near a farmhouse where his family was staying in July 1991 - and they said the investigation is continuing.

Ancient graves have been unearthed on the Greek Aegean island of Kos in a new search for a British toddler who went missing over two decades ago, police said Friday.

"We have actually found some archaeological remains, weve got four graves which date back at least 1,500 to nearly 2,000 years ago," Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said in a video released by the South Yorkshire Police.

British police searching for Ben Needham, who went missing on the island of Kos 25 years ago at the age of 21 months, said on Tuesday that they have found items of "slight interest", including fabric and bones believed to belong to a dog or other animal.

The items were sent to London for forensic tests.

British police started excavations on a Greek island on Monday, saying they were armed with new leads into the disappearance of a British toddler there 25 years ago.

The investigation into the disappearance of toddler Ben Needham from the village of Iraklise, on the isle of Kos, on July 24, 1991, has just warmed up with some new and interesting leads.

Kerry Needham, the tragic mother of Ben Needham - who went missing from the island of Kos on July 24, 1991 – has not lost hope that she would someday see her son again.