It's been 17 years since Shannon Matthews went missing, and now a new Prime Video true crime documentary series is taking a look at the case that gripped the nation. In The Hunt for Shannon Matthews new details are uncovered about Shannon's disappearance – and her return home – through interviews with her childhood friends, locals in her community, and investigators from the case.
Of course, a central figure in the documentary – while not appearing herself – is Karen Matthews, Shannon's mother. In the two-part series, we learn more about Karen, her life, and the events that led to her daughter's disappearance, as well as a few small details about where she is now. With some questions left unanswered by the documentary, we decided to do some digging ourselves to find out more about Karen Matthews and where she is now.
Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about Karen, starting with a recap of the case that unravelled in 2008....
What happened to Karen Matthews' daughter, Shannon Matthews?
Shannon Matthews, who was nine at the time of her disappearance, was reported missing on 19 February 2008. She was last seen outside her school – Westmoor Junior School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire – by her best friend, who appears in Prime Video's documentary series. After realising that Shannon had not returned home, her mother contacted police, prompting a large-scale search involving 250 officers and 60 detectives.
The local community also rallied together, led by Karen's friend, Julie Bushby. Missing posters were plastered across the town and people came from all walks of life to search for the young girl. Sadly, as the days and weeks went by, many began to lose faith that Shannon would be found alive and well, but Karen and Julie remained hopeful.
Read our full deep-dive into the Shannon Matthews case here.
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When did people begin to suspect Karen Matthews?
While Karen Matthews (alongside her then-partner, Craig Meehan) made several public appeals for the safe return of her daughter, there were a couple of people who were suspicious about the mother's occasionally questionable behaviour. The family liaison officer assigned to the case, Detective Constable Christine Freeman, was one such person.
She appears in The Hunt for Shannon Matthews, but speaking to The Telegraph in 2017, Freeman recalled how she felt like something was a bit odd from the get-go. "When I got to the house Karen and her boyfriend, Craig Meehan, were playing on an X-Box. Karen hardly looked up," she said. "After a few minutes my phone rang. I had a pop song as my ringtone and Karen got up and started dancing to it. I remember thinking 'this is really odd'."
Detective Constable Freeman wasn't the only one to suspect something unusual was at play; Karen's close friend, Natalie Brown, also began to doubt the authenticity of her friend's story. "Karen came to stay at my house and when the TV cameras weren't around I realised that it was as if she didn't care. She was back to her normal, happy self," The Mirror reports she said. On another occasion, referenced in Prime Video's docuseries, Karen was heard exclaiming that she should let her kids go missing more often, after a fellow customer offered to pay for her meal at a local fish and chips restaurant.
How was Karen Matthews involved in Shannon's disappearance?
As we explain here, the investigation into Shannon's whereabouts came to an end following a local tip-off. Thankfully, the missing girl was found alive, but for the duration of her abduction, Shannon had been kept – tethered and drugged – at the home of Michael Donovan, her stepfather's uncle. Upon his arrest, he indicated that Karen had been involved from the beginning, alleging that the pair planned to split the reward money.
Following the suggestion that she had played a part in Shannon's abduction, Karen was brought in for questioning but struggled to keep her story straight. Initially, the mum-of-seven denied any involvement and claimed that Michael Donovan was lying. She later changed her statement, claiming that she asked him to look after Shannon as she intended to split up with her boyfriend, Craig Meehan, and needed support with the children while she did so.
Across several interviews, Karen's story changed again and again, and it wasn't until she was confronted by her friends, Julie and Natalie, that she eventually came clean, resulting in her arrest.
Where is Karen Matthews now?
Following a trial at Leeds Crown Court which began in December 2008, both Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan were sentenced to eight years in prison, after being found guilty of kidnap and false imprisonment, as well as perverting the course of justice. Karen, who is now in her late forties, served only half of her sentence and changed her name upon her release, according to Prime Video's documentary.
Little is known about her current whereabouts, but in a 2018 interview with The Mirror, Karen spoke out for the first time about life after several years in prison, telling the paper she was "scared [she'll] die lonely and alone."
Maintaining her innocence and lack of involvement in the kidnap of her daughter – despite having been found guilty and serving a prison sentence for the crime – Karen went on: "I'm not Britain's worst mum. I didn't kill anybody... From the start I didn't know where she was. Others were involved. I didn't have a clue."
"You can't kidnap your own child," Karen added. "I know the truth and I wasn't involved in it. I still have nightmares thinking that it's all going to happen again."
As for what happened to her former boyfriend, Craig Meehan, although he was apparently not involved in the kidnap plot, he was later found to have been in possession of child pornography, for which he was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison.
The child pornography was not thought to be related to the Shannon Matthews case, but he went into hiding following these charges, and was spotted out in public for the first time last year. He was reportedly seen buying beer and scratch cards, before retreating into a bookies.
What have Karen Matthews' friends said about her?
Julie Bushby – who played a major role in the community search for Shannon Matthews – stayed in contact with Karen for the duration of her imprisonment. According to prison letters written by Karen to Julie, the friend used to buy clothes and luxuries for the shamed mother, and recently she opened up about the experience.
Speaking on This Morning on 12 August 2025, Julie recalled visiting Karen in prison and described how she was often unable to give her friend answers to the questions she so desperately sought. "I had so many questions. I used to go visit her at prison. I asked her the same questions," she said. "It was a different story each time I went."
Following Karen's release from prison, and decision to change her identity, it's unclear if she and Julie are still in contact.
The Hunt for Shannon Matthews, a two-part documentary series, is available to stream on Prime Video from Sunday 17 August.
