Mick Donovan, the kidnapper of Shannon Matthews, recently passed away at the age of 54 due to cancer. He infamously held the schoolgirl captive in his council flat for 24 days as part of a scheme planned by the girl’s mother, Karen Matthews.
The police conducted a relentless search for Shannon, sparked by Donovan and Karen Matthews’ aims to claim a £50,000 reward. They even attempted to extort cash from the Find Madeleine McCann Fund.
The nine-year-old Shannon was eventually found hidden in the draw of a divan bed, only a short distance from the flat where she had gone missing. Donovan later changed his name to Aiden Johnson, and he had been receiving treatment at Three Valleys Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire for the previous six years.
His family disowned him in 2022, and no one visited him during the final months of his life. In February, he was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer and was given a few months to live.
His phone was confiscated by the police during a routine checkup at the hospital. The TV series Moorside dramatized the kidnapping in 2017, and Donovan was reported to be happy to “take credit” for it, believing it made him some sort of celebrity.
Following his death, it was mentioned that he would not be missed as he was a very unpleasant and isolated individual. Despite keeping to himself, he had a horrible temper, especially when it came to dissatisfaction with food.
