Member-only story
The Kidnapping of Shannon Matthews
The nine-year-old was taken on her way home, but the investigation was more sinister than anyone dreamed.
In 2008, Madeleine McCann’s abduction still filled the air on every news channel. The image of the three-year-old was plastered everywhere and no one could escape the mention of her name. Her kidnapping was the nightmare of every parent in the country, and for Karen Matthews, she was about to share the pain the McCanns were going through.
Shannon Matthews was born on the 9th of September 1998, in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Shannon had six brother and sisters but only four of them lived in the home she shared with her mother Karen and her partner Craig Meehan. Shannon was the second oldest and was said to be a quiet and shy girl but allegedly she’d told friends that she was considering running away.
On the 19th of February 2008, Shannon was walking home from Westmoor Junior School, like any other day. She’d had a swimming lesson and the school was only half a mile from her home. Shannon never made it back to her house and at 6.50 pm, Karen called the police, to report her daughter missing.
The search
West Yorkshire police began the manhunt for the nine-year-old, drafting in 200 officers to help with the…
