Shannon Matthews, a 9 year old girl, left her West Moor Junior School at 3:10 pm on 19 February, and didn’t return to her home in Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire.
Police said Shannon has never been missing before. She was last seen by teachers leaving the school at about 1510 GMT after she had returned from swimming.
Julie Bushby, chairman of the Moorside residents' association, said local shops and businesses had been handing out tea and coffee to the search teams.
More than 200 officers and 60 detectives have been involved in the search, which police said amounted to 10% of West Yorkshire Police's operational strength. Mountain rescue teams and specialist dogs, trained to find bodies, had been drafted in to the Dewsbury hunt. A national newspaper offered a £50,000 reward for information. The Sun later offered £20,000 in the hope of a breakthrough. Det. Supt. Andy Brennan led the overall search for Shannon.
Neighbours and friends in Dewsbury campaigned to keep Shannon's disappearance in the spotlight.
On 14th March, Police found Shannon hidden in the base of a divan bed in a house in Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, a mile from her home. Police smashed their way into the house and emerged carrying Shannon, who had been missing for over 3 weeks.
The force said the operation was its biggest since the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
Officers have searched nearly 3,000 residential and commercial premises in the hunt for the schoolgirl.
Shannon was found alive in a flat in Batley Carr. The 39-year-old man was said locally to use two names, Paul Drake and Mick Donovan.
Mayor of Kirklees, Jean Calvert, said she was delighted Shannon had been found.
Shannon’s 32-year-old mother Karen and stepfather Craig Meehan, 22, looked tired and drawn as they left Dewsbury Police Station on Friday night.
