The words of the guilty - Part two: more Karen Matthews

What did she reveal with her please?

This is the second of four posts looking at the words of guilty people who, at the time they said them, were trying to appear innocent. Can we tell from their words that they are lying or being deceptive?

In the first post, I looked at Karen Matthews. In 2008, she faked the kidnapping of her 9-year-old daughter, Shannon. That post looks at her initial call to emergency services. In this post, I’ll look at some of the words she used when making media appearances while Shannon was missing.

https://neveratruerword.substack.com/p/the-words-of-the-guilty-part-one

Appeal: 1

Karen: The thing Shannon does not like is dark, cold and anything else. So please if anybody out there, can you please bring my daughter home safe.

In this appeal, the description of what Shannon doesn’t like is not convincing. It starts with “the thing” in the singular, then she likes two specifics (so it's plural) and then says “anything else”. It could be she is misspeaking due to stress, or it could reveal some animosity towards Shannon as a child who regularly complains. What it doesn’t do is paint a vivd picture of how Shannon could be.

The plea is to “bring my daughter home safe”. That is fine, but is quite specific and limited. She aims her words at “anybody out there” not directly to the person or persons who have her daughter. Karen’s plea is not to free Shannon or let her go, but to “bring her home”. And for someone to bring Shannon home, they would have to know where home is.

In looking at the words at the time they were said, I would be advising people to keep an open mind. It could be the ill-considered words of someone under a lot of stress and worry, but they could also be from someone who is leaking their knowledge of the situation which doesn’t match the story being told.

Next appeal (three weeks after Shannon was reported missing)

Press: Can you remember what the last thing you said to her was?

Karen: See you at tea-time

Press: and what did she say?

Karen: I’ll see you at tea-time mum, love you

I don’t see anything deceptive here, but it is still curious. Most parents leave their children with a guide or a reminder, it’s part of the caring role they have. For example, they may say their goodbyes and then “have a great day”, “don’t forget your homework”, “behave in class today”, “call me if you need help”.

Karen makes sure that the words indicate she was expecting to see her daughter later on, and her daughter was expecting to see her. It’s not deceptive, but it’s very convenient that it bolsters her story.

More from the same news conference

Karen: Well I think that somebody out there, who knows Shannon, I suppose they probably know me as well and he’s… I just want her home safe really.

It makes me think now I can’t trust people who is really close to me any more, I just can’t trust them

Karen seems convinced that the person who has Shannon knows her. She doesn’t say why, only that she “thinks” that and “suppose”s it, too. It was discovered that Karen had arranged for her boyfriend’s uncle to hold Shannon, so it appears that this was her leaking the truth behind the facade. She also mentions the abductor is male.

She indicates that she now doesn’t trust people “close to me”, but doesn’t say why.

“I just want her home really” is a weak way of stating it. “Just” and “really” lessen the impact. “Really” suggests there are multiple outcomes she is considering. This is another indicator of the truth leaking out. She is probably thinking that if it is discovered that she has staged this kidnapping, there is a lot of trouble ahead for her, although she may want Shannon home, she likely realises it will not be a bed of roses for her when this happens.

Again, more from the same news conference:

It’s a case of if somebody’s out there that has actually got Shannon, it’s just broken the family that we have had apart, the family don’t feel safe anymore. It’s like her brothers are asking for her all the time, sister’s crying, I… half the time I cry myself to sleep.. her.. step dad which is Craig, he cries his self to sleep, he hasn’t been able to go to work.

She may have been instructed by the police to discuss only the impact that the kidnapping is having on the family, but it is notable here that she voices no worry or concern about Shannon, who is supposedly missing for a long time now. Her only verbalised concern is for the family that has not been abducted.

It’s notable that the least affected person she mentions is herself. While others are crying or crying themselves to sleep, Karen says he only cries herself to sleep “half the time”.

One last line from the same conference, three weeks after Shannon was last seen

Whoever’s got Shannon just please let her go, her family’s missing her all her friends are missing her at school.

Again, there is no concern expressed for Shannon. She’s making an appeal for a kidnapper to return her daughter because “all her friends are missing her at school”.

Conclusion

In the words we’ve looked at in the appeals that Karen made, we can see indicators of deception and indicators that she is being very narrow and guarded on what she is talking about. We even see her tell the truth and say the person who has Shannon knows her daughter, knows her, is a “he” and is “close”.

I don’t know what the police did with what she said at the time. I hope they analysed her words like I’ve done here and urgently pursued what it was possible to learn from them in the hope of finding Shannon quickly.

In the next part of looking at guilty people trying to be innocent, we’re going to look at a killer, who tries to tell us that everything is normal. To get it direct to your inbox, subscribe now

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