What happened to Shannon Matthews and when did she go missing? – The sun

When she was just nine years old, Shannon Matthews became the victim of a vicious kidnapping orchestrated by her evil mother.

The schoolgirl was found alive, but only after her mother was revealed Karen Matthews had her drugged and tied to a bed in an attempt to collect reward money.

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What happened to Shannon Matthews?

In 2008, Shannon Matthews – then nine years old – disappeared on the way home from a swimming lesson in Dewesbury, West Yorkshirewhich led to a huge £3.2 million search.

Hundreds of neighbors and friends joined the mission, while Shannon’s mother Karen Matthews was seen sobbing on TV as she begged her daughter to come home.

I reached over and picked Shannon up and carried her outside. I couldn’t believe I had found her. We had Shannon and she was still alive, I just couldn’t believe it.

Det Con Paul Kettlewell who found Shannon

But in a shocking twist, it was revealed that the monster was behind a plot that saw her daughter drugged and hidden in a sofa bed in a callous attempt to claim the £50,000 reward.

The discovery, made 24 days later Shannon disappearedstunned the nation.

More than 250 officers and 60 detectives were involved in the search, which saw police questioning 1,500 motorists and searching 3,000 addresses before eventually being found in Michael Donovan‘s ugly apartment.

Channel 5 documentary The disappearance of Shannon Matthews shed more light on the case with interviews from many who knew Shannon, including her best friend Megan Aldridge.

Megan said: “That afternoon we went to the pool with school and as usual Shannon and I went straight together.

“Once that was over, we got back into the coach together. Once we got out of the coach, something seemed wrong.

“Because her mother told her that her brother would pick her up after school that day, but he never showed up.

‘Cause when she normally sends one of the kids to pick Shannon up from school, they’re already waiting outside the gate before we get there.

‘But there was no one.

“That was literally the last time I saw her.”

When did Shannon go missing and for how long?

Shannon was last seen outside her school, Westmoor Junior School, about half a mile from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorks, on February 19, 2008.

The young girl was missing for a total of 24 days before she was found by police.

During that time, a massive investigation was launched to find her.

Family neighbors inside The Moorside estate, which gave the 2017 BBC drama about the kidnapping his name, joined Karen and other family members in the search.

Reward money was offered as part of the appeal to find the youngster until she was found alive on March 14, 2008.

How did the police find Shannon?

The nine-year-old was found tied up and drugged in the bottom of a double bed at the apartment of relative Michael Donovan, almost a month after she disappeared.

An elastic band with a noose on the end was found in his cage, which may have been used to restrain him when he went outside.

With it around her waist, Shannon could have used the restroom and certain rooms. but don’t come out of the apartment.

The police have since described the moment they found her hidden in a sofa bedtied up with rope and drugged.

Det Con Paul Kettlewell told BBC Panorama: “I heard Shannon’s voice from this bedroom. I heard her clearly.

‘Although I knew I had heard her, I didn’t know where she was. And then I became aware of movement.

“I reached over and picked Shannon up and carried her outside. I couldn’t believe I had found her. We had Shannon and she was still alive, I just couldn’t believe it.”

It later turned out that it was Shannon’s mother Karen Matthewswho dated Donovan’s cousin Craig Meehan had at the time devised the elaborate plot in a bid to claim a £50,000 reward.

Shocking images have also been released showing conditions of the Shannon flat were held more than three weeks in.

What happened to Shannon after she was found?

After Shannon was found alive, she was placed under police protection – and the High Court granted her lifelong anonymity.

She was given a new identity and went to live with a new family.

Shannon is now an adult in her 20s and will never speak publicly about her life or her ordeal due to a lifelong reporting restriction.

In 2018, her grandparents June and Gordon Matthews spoke to the Daily email and revealed that they had seen a recent photo of their granddaughter.

They describe her as ‘beautiful’.

Shannon’s childhood best friend Megan Aldridge was also never reunited with her boyfriend.

Speaking in one Channel 5 documentary, she said: “It was upsetting and still is upsetting that I’m not going to see her.

“I literally lost my best friend, the only person I want to talk to and be with.”

She then added: “I really hope she’s living the life she wanted now, after everything she’s been through she deserves to be happy.”

What happened after Shannon’s fake kidnapping?

On December 4, 2008, mother-of-seven Karen and Donovan were found guilty of kidnapping, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

Both were sentenced to eight years behind bars at Leeds Crown Court.

Craig Meehan was jailed for 20 weeks after unrelated child abuse material was discovered on his computer.

Matthijs, who has been dubbed Britain’s most hated motherwas released from prison in April 2012 after serving half her sentence.

After the BBC drama The Moorside aired, she decided was pictured working in a charity shop.

Matthews has received death threats and according to the Daily starhad a pot piping hot mushy peas poured over her head as she left her local takeaway.

The bad mother has since claimed she isn’t ‘Britain’s worst mother’ citing the fact that she didn’t kill anyone and claimed “The mother of baby P And Maxine Carr don’t understand the abuse I do”.