A missing child leads to a shocking discovery | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website today's episode deals with violence
towards children and child neglect it won't be suitable for all listeners 9 year old Shannon Matthews woke up on
Tuesday February 19th 2008 on the top bunk of the bed she shared with her two-year-old half-sister it was a school
morning and for once she really had something to look forward to her 4 the--it class had their first swimming
lesson that day and she had been looking forward to it for ages despite the freezing room she crawled out and
sleepily climbed down the ladder to get ready it didn't take Shannon long to remember
the argument she'd had with her mother Karen Matthews and her stepdad Craig Mian the night before they got into it
and Shannon had sworn at Craig afterwards Shannon ran down the road in tears to her uncle Martin's Martin was amongst
brother and Shannon was good friends with his children her cousins Shannon cried and asked Martin if she could stay
with them Martin had heard this before and he was reluctant to say no but he didn't want to interfere after a short
stay he asked his ten-year-old daughter to walk Shannon back home Shannon cried the whole way that morning
Shannon got dressed in her West more junior school black jumper white cotton t-shirt and black trousers she pulled on
her favorite rain boots that were brought pink with grey fur around the edges she picked up a swimming bag and a
blue stripe to tell and to then walked out of her room her bedroom had one wall painted sky
blue and - the others were covered in half peeled pink wallpaper her room was a safe haven that held her favorite
possessions her brats and porcelain dolls all lined up in a row no one had really cared or paid attention to her
scribblings on the part of the wall where the wallpaper had ripped in marker pen she'd recently scrawled I want to
live with my dad but the time Shannon was ready to leave at 8 a.m. her mother current was up into the
argument started again Karen shouted at Shannon as she left the school get out of the house and don't come back
school mornings were busy on the more side council estate in West Yorkshire England with many of the 220 estate
homes having kids rushing out the door at 8 a.m. the temperature was barely over freezing as Shannon started a half
mile walk to school when she saw her cousins further down more side road she told them about what her mum had said
when she was leaving there was nothing new that morning would be the last time Shannon Matthews would ever walk out of
her home on the more side estate it would be the last time she would ever attend West Moore jr. and it would be
the last time that any of her friends saw her [Music] the town of Jewsbury is almost halfway
between Huddersfield and Leeds in North Yorkshire on the edge of town is an area
called Jews be more Jews be more is dotted with council estates including more site estate where Shannon lived the
estate was built in the 1930s when the homes for Heroes project was in place the aim of the project was to give
working-class veterans from World War one an opportunity to live comfortably away from the stressful inner-city
estates a better life for the working class who had served their country rows of 2-story semi-detached red brick
houses were built along the hillside overlooking spent Valley in one direction in the Jewsbury and the other
a keen I would have no trouble spotting the foothills of the pen islands in the distance Jewsbury had once been known as
the hub of yorkshire 'he's heavy wool industry mainly heavy-duty wool textiles for ropes blankets and war uniforms and
of the whole area including more site estate benefited from the seemingly endless factory work for the mill
workers and those placed in the available government housing Moorside was like a dream come true
many people who had come from the cities or nearby towns where their homes were old and cramped fill the immense space
and safety of more soil from its early days the community was strong and supportive of each other they struggled
together through the closing of the mills World War two and the hard times that followed the decades that followed
were tough and by the 1970s the only working Mills left were bedding and biscuit manufacturers buses on the
estate took fewer and fewer workers in the town and people were forced to find whatever work they could to feed their
families some turned to crime but the 1980s things were grim and criminal and social difficulties were a serious
problem much of the youth saw their parents unemployed and in turn grew up without a trade or a reason to work
as Dewsbury got on with revamping disused buildings and factories into apartments and retail more site
continued to become known as the rough area the elderly especially stopped feeling safe and the burglaries were
constant by the time curran-matthews moved to more site in the early 2000s Shannon was four years old the
government was about to revamp the area the housing estates up on Jewsbury more including more site at a burglary rate
double the national average something needed to be done a new strategy for robust policing was enforced and cleans
to upgrade the area were approved four million pounds was spent on the regeneration of the estate emphasis was
placed on slowing down traffic and making the streets safer and more enjoyable for kids by adding features
such as park benches tables and play equipment the government hoped to encourage community interaction with the
help of some local kids they came up with fresh ideas for their ante Joyride bollards these bollards dotted around
the estate were built in the shape of penguins while other bollards replicated fossils all of these features were
designed to calm the area money was also spent on upgrading dilapidated homes with new fences roofs and windows by
2008 more site estate was highly sought after on the council house register but the estate hadn't changed overnight
most families were still getting by on one income which was usually minimum wage many residents had pride in their
homes and their newly upgraded surroundings but others still continued to dump rubbish and furniture in their
yards one house on the estate was made available as a community house run by the tenants and residents Association
the idea was that it be a hub for the community the Association was run by long-term resident Julie Bush B Shannon
Matthew's mother Karen Matthews had grown up in Dewsbury Karen left school at 16 and had her first baby at 17 by
the time she met Shannon's father Leon rose she had a son from a previous relationship within months of meeting
Leon she was pregnant and due they had a son together with the demands of their children put on the couple their
relationship became strained but Karin fell pregnant again and at the age of 23 she gave birth to her third child and
first daughter Shannon Matthews shannon was taken to the home of Karen's parents June and Gordon straight from
the hospital it was known that Karen wasn't coping and she had already shown signs of child neglect with her sons
June and Gordon was strong parents having gotten through tough working-class life to bring up seven
children themselves they were determined to be there for their grandchildren June
and Gordon had recently recovered from a falling out with Karen their focus was to make sure their grandchildren were
okay Karen and Shannon stayed with June and Gordon for the first few months of Shannon's life when it was time to
return home to lay on Karen had no intention of keeping up the care of Shannon in the same way June of Gordon
had Karen refused to buy diapers instead using pieces of curtain tail or even plastic bags she spent her child benefit
money on cigarettes crisps and to be when Shannon was 2 years old her father Leon left and took Shannon's brother
with him moving 10 miles away to Huddersfield Shannon stayed with Karen at Karen's request within a few months
Karen had taken up with someone else and was pregnant again when that relationship ended she screamed at her
ex to take their son with him the cycle continued and a new partner bore a baby girl who would follow the same path and
be taken away at Karen's request to live with the father by the time Karen had moved to Moorside
estate she had six children to five different fathers she moved there with only three of her kids though one of
whom was Shannon when she met Craig men on the Moorside estate she was 28 and Craig was 18 within weeks of getting
together Craig moved into her three-bedroom council house which happened to be next door to Craig sister
Amanda and her husband Neil Craig's mother Alice also lived just the stone's throw away as did another one of his
sisters Caroline things seemed fairly settled and Karen soon felt pregnant with baby number 7 Shannon's baby sister
Karen and Craig will close with Amanda and Neil closer than Karen was with her own sister Julie Julie and her husband
John had no time for Karen and worried constantly about her children over the years Julie had grown tired of the
arguments with Karen about not buying diapers or real food for her kids and many times when Julie gave Karen money
she would just spend it on beer and cigarettes social services were informed by family neighbors and the school in
late 2002 early 2003 Shannon and her brothers and sister were placed on the council's at risk register social
workers show concern that Karen and Craig were leaving their children alone all night on occasions and two that
there was serious alcohol abuse going on in the house they concluded that Karen's
ability to protect her children was compromised by her inability to successfully place her children's needs
above her own it was determined that Karen would require constant monitoring and support
throughout the lives of her children but Shannon and her siblings were taken off
the at-risk register only a year later in 2004 despite another allegation of serious neglect social workers advised
that the children were not at risk of any serious harm at that stage social services had tapered down their
visits and always called ahead this gave Karen a chance to make sure the house was tidied so she could show
her family being well looked after according to June Karen's mum quote I always knew when social services were
due because Karen would ask to borrow money from me when I asked what it was for she would
say I have to buy food to fill the cupboards the social worker is coming it was the only time she filled the
cupboards with proper food Shannon's teachers worried about her level of concentration as she was unable to focus
on reading and writing for long periods of time her head teacher notified social
services again when they started noticing the amount of dirt Shannon had caked on her body and feet and her
clothing never seemed washed until six months prior Shannon had enjoyed regular visits to her dad Leon's place in
Huddersfield she loves spending time with her brother and she got along well with leon's wife but Karen and Leon fell
out over money and Karen cut him off and wouldn't let Shannon see him anymore Shannon started the dream of living with
her father by February 19th 2008 Shannon was 9 she was living with her older half-brother who was 12 her younger
half-brother who was 5 and her baby two-year-old half-sister whose father was Shannon's stepdad Craig Craig worked
at the fish counter at the local Morrison supermarket and Karen stayed home she rarely cooked a meal most
dinners were frozen or takeaways she spent her days watching daytime TV and smoking cigarettes
so that morning when Shannon left for school running down Moorside road towards her cousins she had experienced
hardship greater than many other kids her age she was a resilient kid always able to forget things easily and snap
out of it which is exactly what her cousin said she did on their way to school Shannon was good-natured and other kids
liked her she got teased a little but according to her friends she never really let it bother her too much she
was often shy but also had the ability to be really outgoing given the right situation that morning
Shannon sat with her best friend Megan who noticed that she was a little more withdrawn than usual Megan knew how much
Shannon was looking forward to swimming that day and thought it was strange when
she didn't perk up on the bus on the way to Jewsbury Sports Center usually if Shannon had a quiet morning she was
happy by the afternoon Megan quote Shannon was quiet on the way to swimming instead of talking all the time like she
would normally I didn't ask her why but when we got to the lesson and had two armbands on H we started giggling and
splashing it was funny she was a better swimmer than me Shannon had mentioned running away to some of her friends in
recent weeks lots of the kids talked about what they would do if they ran away but none of the discussions ever
seemed serious into the conversations quickly turned to something else swimming finished around 3:00 p.m. and
on the bus home Shannon went back to being quiet the bus pulled up outside West Moore jr. on Church Lane one of the
teachers mrs. tingle was standing outside the gate neither she nor Megan remembered which
direction Shannon walked when she got off the bus the time was 3:10 p.m. when Shannon wasn't home at 4:00 Karen
knocked on a neighbor's door asking if she had seen her Karen was worried as it was unusual Shannon wasn't home but
there were plenty of kids houses she might have stopped at on the way maybe even her cousin's home Karen went to the
shops with Craig sister Amanda who lived next door Karen thought Shannon would be back by
the time she got back from the shops but when they returned just before 7:00 there was still no sign of Shannon Karen
called the 999 from the Auto Show flattened 9 yeah when did you last fare church torrance morning will be in any
arguments or no obviously read further they were friends or anybody like the rascal think other friends while
everything and nobody at all you know any information or where she can be does she go to school uncle Makhan or normal
yeah right so he just you guys but she was nowhere like to the rink in Toronto but you've been around all a friend more
they've been in touch with all the relatives and you said nowhere else is what got like to look have you been in
touch with the school they confirmed before no there's been nothing since May I should go
[Music] police were at Karen's door by 7:15 Kraig and the other three kids answered
the door as Karen was out searching for Shannon when the officers went inside they saw the house was filthy with
rubbish shoes and clothes were scattered around and takeaway containers were piled up in the kitchen the house had
little ventilation and the stench of cigarettes was strong shortly after Karen returned and was visibly upset she
sat down and began answering the officers questions they asked her if there was any reason to believe Shannon
had to run away Karen explained too that Shannon's older brother had just gotten a computer from
school and she was jealous and angry about that Karen kept saying over and over I just know she is out there
somewhere the officers then asked if they could search the house at this point Craig lashed out saying what are
you accusing us of they explained it was just routine procedure and that they might find something to help them locate
Shannon Craig relaxed a little after hearing that it's not unusual for parents to lose their temper at police
during the different stages of their child going missing some feel questioning by police is directed at
them others feel the police are wasting precious time that should be spent looking for their child family and
neighbors started arriving wondering what was going on soon many people from the estate were out looking for Shannon
police went to Huddersfield to see Shannon's father Leon they thought she might have gotten there but she hadn't
Leon was distraught to hear his daughter was missing and drove straight to Jewsbury Moore to aid in the search a
search team was dispatched and while teams of officers completed line searches in the neighboring fields
others retraced Shannon steps from school neighbors from the estate families from school and others in the
community came out to help in the search many people searched through the entire
night calling out Shannon's name as they walked the streets and crossed the fields but she was nowhere to be found
by the early hours of the morning searchers had checked and rechecked every place that a child might hired
police knew the grim reality of a young girl outside overnight while the early hours of the morning the temperature had
dropped to minus 4 degrees Celsius or 25 degrees Fahrenheit if Shannon was outside and they didn't find her she
would surely suffer from hypothermia the following morning Shannon's uncle Neal said quote we searched everywhere
driving around to the whole area until 4:00 a.m. we looked in neighbors Gardens and checked all the places she would
normally be but came up with nothing we're extremely worried we're in limbo now and don't know what to do that's
completely out of character and unexpected for her to just go off it's a horrible feeling that she might not even
be in Yorkshire anymore she could be a million miles away by now I wish someone has her she is a choir girl and very shy
you might even say she is timid if she had a problem she was not the kind of kid who would go running for help
straight away she is scared of the dark that's why it's all a mystery Neal had said what everyone was thinking and what
everyone was too scared to say out loud what if Shannon was a million miles away
and someone had her as a sharp frost cracked across Zhu's bring more that morning police considered this was not a
runaway case at all they had to accept that there was a chance that Shannon may have been
abducted the Dewsbury community house opened its doors and Julie Bushby who ran the
tenants association stood up immediately to help coordinate the estate's residents to continue searching for
Shannon Karen was a mess she was cooped up at home with Craig and the kids waiting for news that next
morning the major inquiry in homicide teams were called in police continued to visit Karen and Craig hoping that any
new piece of information might help no matter how little they took items from the house they thought might be helpful
including both Karen and Craig's computers every available police department aided in the search as the
morning unfolded officers continued door-knocking asking every household whether they had seen Shannon or
anything suspicious in the lead up to her disappearance the nearby town of Wakefield held the district's Police
Academy they closed their doors that day and sent every available cadet to the streets surrounding Jewsbury more Julie
Bush be continued to lead the civilian search no one was asked to come there were no invitations people just turned
up in droves to help the community pulled together Shannon could have been their daughter
many residents walk the streets in tears determined to do everything they could to help find her that afternoon an
emergency press conference was called by Chief Superintendent Barry south commander of the area that had been
nearly 24 hours since anyone had seen Shannon the press conference was packed it had only been nine months since
three-year-old English girl Madeleine McCann had gone missing while on holiday in Portugal she has never been found
Chief Superintendent South was mindful that the country was still reeling from that and he wanted to be very careful
with these words with all the press and talk over the McCain case there would be
few people who hadn't heard the following statistic 96% of abducted children are killed within the first 24
hours Chief Superintendent south confirmed that their priority was locating Shannon's safe and well and
that every available resource was being utilized in the search by then 200 police officers were searching within
the first day or so 1800 homes had been door knocked that number would eventually grow to over 3,000 a
helicopter with heat-seeking technology was dispatched and constantly droned overhead mounted police searched the
Morand rolling hills and Gardens nearby some of the scrub was thick and overgrown but they left a no stone
unturned a section of crow nest Park was cordoned off where the lake was officers
broke the ice which sat like a she'd across the top and sent divers down they came up with nothing
Julie Bush be in the residence of the estate gathered around Karen they printed hundreds of posters with
Shannon's photo saying have you seen this girl they also printed hundreds of t-shirts in the sea of residents wore
them as they take two posters to every fence and pole in the area the Sun newspaper put up a 20,000 pound reward
for any information leading to her safe return another 5,000 was donated by a business
in Huddersfield and in the newspaper would later make the total reward 50,000 pounds
Karin spoke to the media outside her home it was easy to mistake the black circles around her eyes as black eyes
she looked like a deer in the headlights dungeon if you help there please come and love you Tibby to miss you so much
Milla feel so more please go home I don't have you heard anything at all from her account no I just want when she
belongs with the family if anybody's got Charlaine please return her home safe please I'm begging you baby come on the
feeling of helplessness was near besieging their country and the public felt desperate for Karen and her family
Karin's words always seemed on the hopeful sight though she often said she thought Shannon was out there somewhere
and hoped she would be home soon the press didn't move their vans remained camped on more side road in the estate
after one week passed the search was continuing but there was still no clues the police were under immense pressure
the Madeleine McCann case being in the forefront of people's minds meant that West Yorkshire police wanted to avoid
the criticisms of the Portuguese investigation in the background detectives were looking into everything
and everyone they could Julie Bushby continued to rally the local community she became the pillar for the estate and
the pillar for Karen who crept deeper and deeper into herself at home Karen planted flowers for Shannon in the front
garden with local children from the estate a large group gathered to release balloons in Shannon's honor and candles
were lit at night along the road two weeks after Shannon went missing police set up another press conference
to appeal for help wearing a help find Shannon T show into clutching one of Shannon's small teddy
bears Karen posed for pictures she appeared a lot calmer than in her frantic TV please
in the early days of the search the darker rings around her eyes were fading karen was flat all the notion gone
Shannon's dad Leon Rose also spoke at this press conference it's a case of if somebody's out there that has actually
got Shannon he's just broken the family that we had apart the family don't feel safe anymore so the brothers are asking
for her out time sisters crying I thought I might cry myself to sleep her stepdad which is Craig he cries softly
and being able to go to work whoever's got Shannon please let her go my family's missing out all our friends
in me seen her at school I've been looking on every day where Cercle out driving about Lee under not
leaflets just asking about anyone soon all you know you know I mean any little littlest detail could mean a great thing
a great big deal and his best we'll just I would doing stuff like moment Shannon
stepdad Craig man told the Sun newspaper quote I know people start pointing fingers at family and friends when
things like this happen but I had nothing to do with Shannon's disappearance Karen continued to share her belief that
someone out there had Shannon quote I think that somebody out there who knows Shannon they probably know me as well
and I just want her home safe really and makes me think now that I can't trust people who are really close to me
anymore I just can't trust them she got abducted that's all I can say when asked if she thought it was someone
she knew who took her she said quote it seems that way because there's no trace of her at all there's no trace of her
swimming costume a towel or anything like that that she's taken with her a reporter pressing Karen further asked
why someone close to her would do it Karen said just to hurt me really Karen then told the press that the last thing
Shannon said to her when she left the house that morning was quote I'll see you at tea-time mum love you by this
stage West Yorkshire police had questioned 1,500 motorists and searched over 3,000 houses more than 250 officers
and 60 detectives were involved in the investigation around 10 percent of the entire operational strength of West
Yorkshire Police at the time half of the recovery dogs in the UK were utilized and these dogs were used to search more
than 500 homes lining shannon's reactor school they found nothing the sex offenders register was scrutinized and
800 CCTV tapes and computer hard drives were checked the search for Shannon became the largest police search for a
missing person since the Yorkshire Ripper investigation 30 years earlier not since January 1991 when Peter
Sutcliffe was charged with the Yorkshire Ripper murders had Jewsbury had such a high-profile police event West Yorkshire
Police created a website called help us find Shannon had held information for the missing Shannon Matthews appeal
police also used the launch to release a new photograph of Shannon enter the 999
call made by Karen as media interviews rolled on questions put to Karen and Craig got tougher at one point Craig was
asked if the rumours he had been violent towards Shannon were true he was defended by Leon Shannon's father Karen
said there was no way Craig was involved in Shannon's disappearance nothing had swayed Karen's belief that Shannon was
still alive quote wherever she is she's going to be frightened and it's just breaking everybody's
on the street just let her go karen and craig remained home dealing with influx of friends police and reporters
constantly at their door they still had three children at home the two boys from
Karen's previous relationships and also Karen and Craig's baby girl police were interested in everyone in Shannon's
family they spent countless hours drawing up Shannon's family tree which by that stage had over 350 names on it
they were slowly working through each name and paying visits to everyone they compiled a list of significant
individuals who were persons of interest they were prioritizing everyone who was
spoken to who gave as much information as they could they all just wanted Shannon to be found as part of the
investigation Karen Craig and Shannon's siblings gave their DNA Karen also handed over several
items belonging to Shannon with this officers were able to piece together a full set of Shannon's fingerprints and
her DNA profile if a discarded item of clothing or if a body was found it would be better for police to already have her
DNA on file especially if they needed to match something in a hurry but when they
got the results in police had to sit down with Karen and Craig and inform them that their youngest daughter the
baby girl Karen had fallen pregnant with shortly after meeting Craig wasn't actually Craig's on Friday the 14th of
March 2008 24 days since Shannon was last seen many of the residents of the estate woke up with hangovers the
previous night Julie Bushby and other locals had organized that this go up at the Cricket Club there was a chance to
raise money for the missing Shannon Matthews appeal which didn't seem to be going anywhere and also a chance to
relax for many of those who had dedicated night and day to finding Shannon Karen and Craig were in
attendance and seemed to be having a fairly good time although they mostly kept to themselves
prior to the disco police received some information one of Craig's relatives had
spoken to Craig's uncle Michael Donovan and dimensioned that police were building a family tree and one of his
details the strange thing was that neither Craig or Karen had given Michael Donovan's name to the police as part of
the family tree and Donovan only lived close by less than a mile down the road on the morning of March 14th police plan
to speak to Michael Donovan with hundreds of names on Shannon's family tree it was possible that he had just
been forgotten stranger things had happened during one media interview karen Matthews forgot that she had seven
children only remembering at the time that she had six so the chance that Craig's uncle Michael Donovan had simply
been forgotten from the family tree was very possible although something of note
was Michael Donovan hadn't turned up to take part in any of the searches for Shannon despite only living close by
Detective Constable znik Townsend and Paul Kettlewell were dispatched to visit Donovan and get his details they had
spent the last three weeks speaking to all relatives and people who had ties to Shannon they had completed over 700 door
knocks into nothing of any significance had come up Donovan lived in lead gate Gardens a large estate full of two-story
vanilla brick flats in Bartley car less than one mile from Shannon's Home Office's Townsend and Kettlewell arrived
at Donovan's estate in the late morning they walked up the communal stairs to unit number 24 on the first floor they
knocked but no one answered so they knocked on the neighbor's door the neighbor told them that Donovan should
be home as his car was parked outside and he never went anywhere without it the officers then checked with the
downstairs neighbors the woman who lived in the flat directly underneath Donovan
said she was sure that she had heard him upstairs that morning after a few more questions
the woman said that in the last few weeks she had heard the sound of a child's fate shuffling around upstairs
Donovan's kids weren't there anymore but he did have a new girlfriend and of the
neighbor thought his girlfriend must have had a child but Townsend and Kettlewell thought otherwise
they found for backup the operational search team arrived and the group met at the stairs to discuss the plan they
decided that if Donovan was in and had innocently not heard them knocking and nothing untoward was found then that was
a risk worth taking they broke Donovan's doherty on after going up a small flight of stairs to the
living area they realized the flat was in total silence but then one of the officers tried a bedroom door and it was
locked he opened it with one kick the smell of cigarette smoke was fresh one of the officers put his hand down on the
bed and the sheets felt warm at that moment they heard the small cry of a child stop it
you're frightening me it was muffled and it was coming from under the bed they took a look and the bed seemed to have
solid sides two of the officers attempted to lift it from its base but it was so heavy they could barely get it
off the ground there was movement from the other side and before the officers even had a chance to look at each other
a small girl crawled out from a drawer underneath the bed she tried to stand but she was confused and dazed
Kettlewell picked her up and left the room with her safely in his arms he asked her where Donovan was where I was
under the bed the other officers bent down and peered through the hole for the draw Michael Donovan Craig's uncle was
caught up under the bed in the fetal position no amount of yelling at him de coming up
did any good they placed him under arrest on suspicion of abduction Donovan was lying under the bed with six hundred
pounds in cash a prescription for temazepam a box of travel sickness medication entered the Sun newspaper
with the headline about Shannon's new fifty thousand pound reward from the moment the officers tried to
cuff him and while trying to getting me out of the flattened to the police car Donovan kicked and yelled and tried to
break free from their grasp neighbors had gathered downstairs they were shocked when Detective Constable
Paul kilowatt walked out of the stairwell holding a girl in his arms one neighbor whispered to the officer is
it Shannon yes she's OK Kettlewell replied as Michael Donovan was dragged on his knees refusing to walk to the
police car neighbours shouted abuse at him he yelled back don't hate me I'm a poorly man Shannon sat safely in
the back of the other police car Townsend and Kettlewell took a moment to shake each other's hands they didn't
need to say anything they both knew exactly how the other felt they reminded Shannon that everything was going to be
ok she was safe Neil when detective Superintendent Andy Brennan received the call his first reaction was that a body
had been found he had the double check Shannon was alive the first thing Shannon was given
when she arrived back at Jewsbury police station was a coloring book and some pencils a white tent was set up at the
entrance to the communal stairs and a Donovan's flat was searched by crime scene officers who took fingerprints and
swabs for DNA they found a long fabric strip coming from the main hole in the hallway when
they followed it up they saw it was attached to a beam in the roof it had been used to tie around Shannon's waist
when Donovan had to go where she could reach the bathroom and the bed I think that's an idea
they also found a handwritten list of rules that read you must not make any noise or bang your feet you must not go
near the windows you must not get anything or do anything without me being here keep the TV volume low only up to
eight or lower you can play the Super Mario games and you can play some DVDs and you can play the CD music it ended
with the letters I PU which stood for I promise you amongst some of the things Shannon had been playing with in the
flat they found a copy of a children's magazine called arrival life it was a colorful book for kids on traveling
safely the book explains to children to make sure people know where they are going and recommends that they always
choose the safest route in the bedroom police found two packed bags of clothes by the door with the packed clothes the
cash and the travel sickness medication it was clear that Donovan was about to flee a check of his police record showed
that he had been arrested for abducting his own daughter just over a year before
but the case was withdrawn from the courts after social services got involved police believed that Donovan
was preparing to leave as the heat around Shannon's disappearance hadn't gone away they believe he was intending
to take Shannon with him and if he did the likelihood of her ever being found her life would have been very slim
Shannon's father Leon Rose was informed Shannon had been found he described the moment is feeling like
yield won the lottery he thanked everyone that helped in the search saying he was just so thankful she was
home Julie Bushby was at the community center when she got the call she started yelling that Shannon had been found the
cheering could be heard down a road and people came rushing the residents hugged
each other as they cried and shook their heads in disbelief no one could believe
it there were yet to be any questions everyone was just glad to hear Shannon was okay
word quickly spread and soon text messages and calls were flying all over that Shannon had been found
Karen's neighbors ran to her house and screamed out the news Karen stared frozen and then burst into tears as did
Craig bucket Jewsbury police station they were also celebrating detective Superintendent Andy Brennan described it
as like nothing he had ever seen quote everyone was in tears I've never seen an incident room like it
it was a very emotional time the vast majority of staff and officers were parents or grandparents themselves they
didn't need anyone to remind them of the consequences of not finding Shannon news
footage of Karen and Craig outside their house showed them shell-shocked Karen clutched Craig and turned her face
away from the cameras in a way she hadn't done in the 24 days before at one point during the live news broadcast
Julie Bushby who was inside the house was yelling small woman why isn't she smiling some of her other friends also
joined in the God's sake Karen smile Karen turned back to the camera and smiled at that moment you could hear the
crowd inside the house cheering it wasn't just Moorside celebrating people came from all over the area they tore up
the missing posters and danced around the streets the relief felt by the community was undeniable people found it
hard to control their emotions they felt proud of the way their community had pulled together and showed their
strength in total the search for Shannon Matthews cost 3.2 million pounds and involved over 300 police officers
Karen's house was full of people when police arrived and they asked everyone to give them some privacy when the
officers confirmed the details of Shannon's rescue Craig's eyes filled up and he cried Karen turned her face away
hiding her emotion the officers offered the drive Karen and Craig down to the station to see Shannon
as Karen gathered her things the officers waited for a borough of questions from a worried mother about
her daughter but they never came Detective Constable Christine Freeman who was also the family liaison officer
during the search was asked to be the first person to speak to Shannon they had never met but Freeman knew a lot
about her as she had spent hundreds of hours with her parents and family in the previous weeks Freeman's first reaction
when she saw Shannon was to hug her but she reined it in and simply smiled at the bewildered nine-year-old saying am I
glad to see you Shannon was calm and a little confused by all the fuss she didn't really understand what was going
on when Karen arrived at Jewsbury police station she was informed that both her and Craig wouldn't be able to see
Shannon face to face they were told it was to preserve forensic evidence as Karen watched her daughter whom she
hadn't seen for 24 days through a two-way sheet of glass she didn't cry or call out she just stood facing the glass
and blankly said she's got new clothes before being escorted from the room Shannon was taken into emergency care by
social services and placed under police protection police exercised powers under
Section 46 of the children Act 1989 which allows a child to remain subject to police protection for 72 hours in a
statement to the press that day police confirmed Shannon wouldn't be going home until they fully completed their
investigation Karen and Craig were put up in a hotel for the night to give them a break from the press a party had
erupted on the more side estate people were embracing each other as they waited for their kids to come home from school
at Shannon's school an assembly was held where the children were told Shannon had
been found safe many of the kids burst into tears uncontrollably the effect Shannon's disappearance had on her
friends was evident in those few minutes as they walked arm-in-arm back to Moore
side Road many of them cried the whole way her friend Kelly clutched 22 letters that had been written fish Shannon
friends the estate partied into the night people lit fireworks and people drank all the booze they could find
shops donated champagne and one resident set up strobe lights and had music pumping from his house a bedsheet hung
from a window with the words welcome home painted in huge letters news crews filmed as drunken locals chanted for
Shannon and cried with happiness that she had been found alive at Halifax Police Station Michael Donovan had
initially refused to speak but after a wall he prepared a statement with his lawyer his statement implicated
curran-matthews Donovan said Karen had approached him with a plan he looks after Shannon can pretend she's missing
they wait for the reward to go up and then they share the money when the reward reached twenty five thousand
pounds Karen rang Donovan and said she would ring him again when it reached fifty our
telling what to do it had reached 50 but she hadn't given him any further instructions before he was arrested
Donovan said that he couldn't get out of it because Karen had threatened to sent
three men to hurt him if he didn't do what she said he didn't know who the men were but he guessed one of them was a
man he knew of who had killed someone he said he didn't hurt Shannon at all and had even gone and bought her toys and
clothes Michael Donovan was born Paul Drake and was the youngest of nine he grew up on
an estate not far from the flat where Shannon was found he started getting in trouble with the law at age 11 his first
offenses were arson and shoplifting when he was 16 he was convicted of causing criminal damage after which he ran away
from home and never returned at 19 he changed his name by deed poll to Michael Donovan after his hero of the same name
from his favorite TV show v he found work as a labourer and delivery driver with an engineering firm where he
demonstrated little common sense Donovan was described as a man who kept mostly to himself Donovan had met Karen
Matthews the previous November at the wake for Craig's father Karen and Donovan hit it off drinking beers in the
kitchen after the service another member of the family walked in when Karen was sitting on Donovan's knee apparently
falling all over him rumors were floating around that Karen had been having an affair with Donovan the
following day police confirmed that Shannon was doing well specially trained officers had been gently questioning
Shannon to establish what had happened over several weeks that followed she would have daily 10-minute sessions at a
special children's suite resembling a classroom when Shannon ceased to be held in police protection she remained in the
care of Kirklees Family Services she was then moved from the Jewsbury area on March 17th 2008 three days after Shannon
was found Michael Donovan was formally charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment he was remanded in custody
he appeared at Leeds Crown Court via videolink from his prison cell under the trial date was fixed for November 11th
eight months later back in the estate friends and neighbors were discussing some of the strange
behaviors of Karen she wasn't asking when Shannon would be home and she wasn't kicking and screaming angry that
it was her boyfriend's uncle who had abducted her daughter people started to look back over the previous weeks and
some of the erratic things Karen had done she would laugh and knock about in the living room with Craig but then when
a camera started recording for an interview she would quickly change to a grieving mother those around her at the
time were oblivious they were all highly stressed and focused on finding Shannon
not scrutinizing how many times Karen broke down crying police informed Karen and Craig that Shannon wasn't able to
return home while they was still interviewing her and running medical tests for signs of abuse Karen simply
said okay she didn't ask after Shannon or us to give her a message police released the statement to the
press to reassure everyone that keeping Shannon away from home was for the best quote this may be a long process but
throughout this inquiry our main focus has been and continues to be Shannon's welfare we have therefore
taken the decision that for now it is in Shannon's best interests that should be
made subject of an emergency police protection order this will remain in place until we have had time to
establish the full facts of what happened in the time since her disappearance the real reason Shannon wasn't allowed
home was because of Michael Donovan's accusation that Karen was involved but there was also another reason
on April 2nd Shannon stepfather Craig man was arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography these
charges came after police examined his computer during the search for Shannon Craig was remanded in custody and the
following day formally charged with 11 offenses of possessing indecent images of children the next day
Craig's sister Amanda who lived next door was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender Craig's mother
Alice who was Michael Donovan sister was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice
they were both released on bail some of Karen's friends had had enough they were
asking questions of Karen but they were continuing to get vague answers no one knew what to believe and after Craig was
arrested people were scared Julie Bushby and another friend Natalie decided to confront Karen although they
weren't aware of the statement that Donovan had made against current they had their own suspicions Julie and
Natalie got in touch with the police liaison officer Christine Freeman and told her that they plan to get Karen to
talk Freeman agreed to help them Freeman picked Karen up in her car Karen sat in the front passenger seat until
they then picked up Julie and Natalie Julie immediately told Karen about the rumors that had been going around the
estate that people were starting to believe Karen knew where Shannon was the entire torment Julie asked her flat-out
if she was involved Karen started sobbing uncontrollably it's true Karen cried hysterically with more emotion
than she had shown in all the weeks before it's true Karen was immediately arrested on the 6th of April 2008 47
days after Shannon disappeared her mother Karen Matthews was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the
course of justice and child neglect Shannen stepdad Craig man was not charged in relation to her disappearance
that later came out that detectives suspected Karen almost from the start an investigation into the role Social
Services played was also commenced looking at whether or not they could have done more to protect Karen's
children the day Karen was charged police announced that they were also investigating approaches that have been
made by Karen's family to the Madeleine McCann fund asking for money to assist in the search for Shannon Kate and Gerry
McCann had received phone calls and emails from Shannon's family asking if they would donate to the find Shannon
appeal the McKeon spokesman Clarence Mitchell said quote they were quite blunt saying things like Madeline's
family has got loads of money in the we want some fish Shannon the mckeon set up
the find metal and fund after their three-year-old daughter vanished on their holiday in Portugal in May 2007
nine months before Shannon vanished detectives believed Karen was inspired to stage her own daughter's abduction by
the mackenz plot inherited captured public emotion the mackenz felt the stress that Shannon's disappearance and
according to their spokesman Clarence Mitchell were on the verge of giving Shannon's family 25 thousand pounds but
before any money was handed over the McCanns had advice from the police the police informed them that certain things
had come to light during the investigation and it would be best if they didn't donate Michael Donovan told
police the plan was for him to release Shannon at Jewsbury market and then he would pretend to find her by chance they
planned to do this in view of CCTV cameras so they had proof to claim their reward Donovan and Karen both told their
own separate and conflicting accounts of the day the plan was hatched by piecing
together parts of both of their stories police concluded the following in a small local cafe Karen arranged to meet
with Michael Donovan she arrived with her youngest daughter strapped into her buggy and over a mug of tea
Karen presented her plan initially she asked Donovan to look after her eldest son in what would be a
staged kidnapping when Donovan said no and explained that he didn't even know her oldest son Karyn changed her mine
she decided that Shannon was a much better option and that the reward to help locate her would probably be much
higher than her sons anyway Karyn explained that she would report Shannon missing and once the reward got to
50,000 pounds she would contact him with what to do next it was likely that Karyn
didn't realize it would take three weeks to reach that amount it seemed that in her plan she thought
it would be just a matter of days Karen pushed an a4 sheet of paper across the table to Donovan detailing the plan the
paper listed the date and time he was supposed to wait for Shannon and contained instructions about what he was
to do with her after learning his instruction by heart he was told to dispose of the paper down the toilet
Donovan claims to police that he didn't want to be non-current scheme and that it was only when she threatened him and
told him she'd get her heavy friends on to him if he didn't do it then he agreed
according to Donovan Karen said he'd be dead if he didn't help her Karen never admitted her involvement in the crime
after the arrests police had to go door-to-door on the estate with the individual any leaflets the locals felt
huge betrayal and some had begun attacking Karen's house Karen's other children had been taken into care and
her house sat empty it had to be boarded up and have metal screens placed against
the windows to stop any further damage the elation of Shannon being found was marred by the deep sadness everyone felt
that a mother could do this to her own child Shannon's friends felt like they had lost her all over again
and they had it was hard for anyone to comprehend when it was clear that Shannon would
never be going back to Jewsbury mall and would never see her loved ones again people grieved her loss
[Music] Craig men pleaded not guilty but was convicted of 11 counts of possessing
child pornography all images were found stored on his computer which police had taken from the house during the
investigation he was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment but because he had already spent longer on remand than that
he was released that day Michael Donovan and Karen Matthews were tried together at Leeds Crown Court on November 11th
2008 the trial lasted just over three weeks neither of them showed any emotion as they were led into court prosecutor
Julian Goose QC presented Karen as a quote proven consummate skillful and convincing lawyer
the plan was as dishonest as it was wicked both defendants stood by and watched the very large police
investigation and assistance by many people in the search it was based on a lie a trick and a deliberately false
complaint the court heard that Shannon knew nothing about what was happening and had been tricked into accepting a
lift from Donovan on her way home from school that day with a promise to take her to a fair instead he imprisoned her
less than one mile from her own house Donovan strongly denied mistreating Shannon telling the court he had taken
her shopping and for evening walks in a local park with her pink jackets hood hiding her face but it was reported in
the media that he had tied her with a strap to a beam in the ceiling which led to him being attacked in prison while on
remand as he sat in court he nursed a broken jaw a forensic toxicologist told the court
that tests on Shannon's hair indicated she had been given temazepam as well as travel sickness medication to subdue her
while being held captive but further tests also revealed that these drugs had been fed to Shannon
for up to 20 months prior to their disappearance experts believe that she would have constantly felt the effects
of the drugs and this would have been a contributing factor to her lack of concentration at school she was likely
to have been confused slow and a little fuzzy being so young she may not have identified these feelings as being
unusual and may have been all she knew on November 27th when Karen gave evidence she constantly sobbed while
denying having anything to do with her daughter's disappearance she claimed that Craig told her to take the blame
for what had happened and that she was scared of him the prosecutor told the jury that Karen had given the police
five different versions of the story stating she was quote telling lie after lie after lie
neither Karen Matthews then aged 33 Norma called Donovan then aged 44 showed any emotion as the jury returned
unanimous guilty verdicts after six hours of deliberation both were found guilty of kidnapping false imprisonment
and perverting the course of justice they both received eight-year sentences after it was all over Julie Bushby said
quote I personally don't think it was for the reward I don't know what it was for I don't know it could have been
attention during Karen's prison sentence Julie Bushby was her only visitor every
month she would travel to the prison in Leeds in the hope that Karen may reveal why she did it
Julie asked her often and she always got the same response in one way or another
that she didn't do it Julie said Karen was often beat up and usually greeted her with a black eye Shirley write down
the details of their conversations religiously and every visit Karen's story was different
in June 2010 social services released the statement after completing their report they stated that there was no way
they could have predicted or prevented what happened to Shannon quote we are sorry that any child should go through
this traumatic experience it's even harder to comprehend that it was Shannon's mother who was the one to let
her down the most both Karen Matthews and Blanca Donovan were freed in March 2012 after serving half their sentence
four years after Karen was freed she was taken to a woman's hostel in the Home Counties in a private car she was given
a makeover and a new identity on her first outing with staff she was recognized immediately with an onlooker
stating quote the level of preparation and time given over to Karen Matthews and her rehabilitation is frankly
extraordinary in fact you would think she was a victim of an abduction not the perpetrator she had to serve only half
her sentence and now she is being rewarded with a makeover and a shopping trip it's insane Shannon Matthews was
given a new identity as were her siblings whom she lived with they were all placed with other families
Shannon never saw any of her friends family or neighbors ever again it's not known publicly why custody wasn't
granted to Shannon's father Leon Rose Shannon's grandparents who had always provided a safe haven for her she grew
up were also denied custody Shannon would never see them again Shannon's grandfather Gordon spoke of
his heartache of losing his granddaughter twice and how he longs for her to get in touch he in June
occasionally get updates from social services but otherwise have no contact with her recently they saw a picture of
her nearly a decade on from when they last saw her and said she looked beautiful
Gordon quote my one wish is that when she is old enough to understand what happened properly she will come and
knock on that door but I fear it will be too late and I won't be here to see her
I will be out there in heaven looking down on her [Music]

Case 58: Shannon Matthews

It was a school morning, and for once Shannon Matthews had something to look forward to. Her fourth-year class had their first swimming lesson that day, and she had been looking forward to it for ages. Despite the freezing room, she crawled out and sleepily climbed down the ladder to get ready.

It didn’t take Shannon long to remember the argument she’d had with her mother Karen Matthews and her stepdad Craig Meehan, the night before. They’d got into it, and Shannon had sworn at Craig…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Anna Priestland Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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Brief Summary

Shannon Matthews was abducted by her mother's partner in a staged kidnapping for financial gain, leading to a major police investigation.

Key points

The Morning of Disappearance. Shannon Matthews leaves home for school, never to return. It marks a tragic turning point.
Community Search Efforts. As night falls, the community bands together to search for Shannon, fearing the worst.
Community Rallies to Find Shannon. Residents come together in droves to help search for Shannon Matthews, showing incredible community spirit.
Press Conference Raises Stakes. Chief Superintendent Barry South addresses the press, highlighting the urgency of finding Shannon within 24 hours.
Shannon Found After Intense Search. After weeks of searching, Shannon is found alive, bringing relief to her family and community.
Shannon Found Safe. Shannon's friends burst into tears upon hearing she was found safe.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I just know she is out there somewhere.

Karen Matthews expressing her belief that Shannon is still alive.

17:46WatchNov 20, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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