UK: Massive search fails to find missing nine-year-old

UK Police have searched more than 200 homes and received over 300 calls from the public as the search for missing nine-year-old Shannon Matthews enters its seventh day today.

The schoolgirl, from West Yorkshire in the UK, failed to return home from school after a swimming trip on Tuesday afternoon.

The police operation, which has involved 250 officers and desperate day-and-night searches by friends and relatives, has so far failed to find a trace of Shannon.

Officers have searched more than 200 homes within a half-mile radius of Moorside Road and leaflets appealing for information about Shannon’s whereabouts have also been distributed around the area.

Yesterday the police operation focused on areas close to her family home and groups of officers could be seen conducting house to house inquiries in the vicinity.

A police spokeswoman described the investigation as “extensive”, but stressed that the door-to-door inquiries were part of the wider hunt.

She said: “West Yorkshire Police is carrying out a large number of searches in and around the area where Shannon lives.

“This forms an important part of the investigation to build up a clearer picture of Shannon and her lifestyle and should not be seen as unusual.

The community has rallied around the family with worried neighbours and family members, some wearing T-shirts showing pictures of the schoolgirl, gathering at the residents’ association hall near her home.

The last confirmed sighting of Shannon was as she left West Moor Junior School at 3.10pm after returning from a swimming lesson.

Detectives have released CCTV footage showing Shannon entering and leaving Dewsbury Sports Centre swimming pool with classmates shortly before her disappearance.

On Friday Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan confirmed statements made by Shannon’s natural father, who is separated from her mother, Karen, that she had written on her bedroom wall about wanting to go and live with him.

Shannon is described as timid and is white, around 4ft 1in and slim, with shoulder-length, medium-brown hair, which may have been tied up in a ponytail. She has blue eyes and freckles.

She was dressed in a black jumper with a school logo, a white cotton T-shirt, black trousers and a waist-length black coat with fur round the hood. She was also wearing distinctive pink and grey “Bratz” furry boots.