Michael Donovan - the man jailed for the 2008 kidnapping of young Shannon Matthews - has died.
As reported by The Sun, Donovan was part of the twisted plot that saw a young girl's own family hatch a kidnapping plot against her.
The Sun reports that Aiden Johnson - formerly known as Michael Donovan - died at Three Valleys Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire, on Tuesday (April 16)
The 54-year-old collapsed in the courtyard of the secure mental health facility around mid-afternoon. Following his release from prison in 2012, Donovan had been residing there for the past six years. Earlier in February, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 throat cancer and was given a prognosis of just a few months to live.
The kidnapping case of Shannon Matthews gripped the United Kingdom in 2008.
Shannon, a nine-year-old girl from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, disappeared on her way home from school on February 19, 2008, sparking a massive police investigation and a nationwide search effort.
As days turned into weeks, the search for Shannon intensified, drawing extensive media coverage and widespread public attention. Concern for her safety grew as time continued to pass, with authorities and volunteers combing through the nearby area.
However, the case took a shocking turn when it was revealed that Shannon's own mother, Karen Matthews, had orchestrated her daughter's disappearance in a bid to claim the £50,000 reward money. The discovery sent shockwaves across the country, prompting disbelief and outrage among the public.
Karen Matthews, along with her partner's uncle, Michael Donovan, was arrested and charged in connection with Shannon's disappearance. It emerged that Donovan had hidden Shannon in his flat, drugging her and keeping her restrained in order to execute the elaborate hoax.
Ultimately, Shannon was found alive 24 days after going missing.
Officers found her inside of a drawer of a divan bed in Donovan's flat - located just a few miles from the estate where she vanished.
