Shannon hunt continues two weeks on

Updated 15.46 Tue Mar 04 2008

Keywords: Shannon Matthews, West Yorkshire Police, missing

Over 500 houses have been searched for missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews who disappeared exactly two weeks ago, police have said.

A full set of fingerprints and a DNA profile of the nine-year-old has now been obtained from personal items including schoolbooks, West Yorkshire Police said.

"We will continue to treat this as a potential missing person's inquiry but realistically we are dealing with the fact that it could be something more sinister" - Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan

Shannon failed to come home after a swimming trip in her home town of Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, on February 19. She was last seen on Church Lane but police are still unsure where the youngster went from there.

Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan said the DNA profile is important in the continuing investigation to establish where the youngster has or has not been.

He said police will be looking to search around 3,000 houses in total as the force continues to dedicate 250 officers and 60 detectives to the case - 10 per cent of its operational strength.

He added: "We will continue to treat this as a potential missing person's inquiry but realistically we are dealing with the fact that it could be something more sinister."

On Monday, Shannon's mum, Karen Matthews, made an emotional appeal to "somebody out there" who may be holding her daughter, urging: "Whoever's got Shannon, just please let her go."

Mrs Matthews said her daughter's last words on the day she vanished were: "I'll see you at teatime, Mum. Love you.'

Holding Shannon's favourite teddy bear as she renewed calls for information on the child's whereabouts, Mrs Matthews added: "If somebody's out there who's actually got Shannon, it's just broken the family that we had apart. The family doesn't feel safe anymore."

Asked if she believed somebody living locally knows something, she said: "I think there's somebody out there who knows Shannon and probably knows me as well. And I just want her home safe, really."

Mrs Matthews said she accepted police had to carry out criminal checks on members of her family. She said her daughter's disappearance made her question her trust in friends and wider family.

"I can't trust the people who are really close to me any more. Whoever's got Shannon, just please let her go. Her family's missing her. All her friends are missing her at school."

Mrs Matthews said she and Shannon's stepfather Craig Meehan had both been crying themselves to sleep since she disappeared.