What is karen mathews?

Karen Matthews is a woman from West Yorkshire, England who gained national notoriety in 2008 when she was found guilty of kidnapping her own daughter, Shannon Matthews, in an effort to collect a reward from the media. Shannon was missing for 24 days before she was found hidden in the base of a bed in a nearby home. Matthews was sentenced to eight years in prison for her involvement in the scheme. She has since been release from prison and given a new identity.