When Shannon Matthews went missing in February 2008, Julia Bushby was a powerhouse of support to her mum Karen Matthews.
Schoolgirl Shannon vanished on February 19, after she left school in West Yorkshire.
The nine-year-old’s disappearance triggered the biggest investigation in the region since the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970s.
Read more: Where is Karen Matthews now and does she see her other children apart from Shannon
The community – led by Karen’s neighbour Julie Bushby – began a tireless campaign to help the police in their search.
The nation was left reeling shock when – 24 days after she went missing – Shannon was found hidden in the divan bed at the home of Karen’s fiance Crain’s uncle, Michael Donovan.
It later transpired that Donovan and Karen had cooked up a plan to hide Shannon, then claim reward money by him claiming to have found her.
Channel 5 documentary The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews talking to those involved in the appalling drama, and the life of her mum, Karen Matthews, who was charged with Shannon’s disappearance.
Julie Bushby is a key contributor – here’s all you need to know about her.
Who is Julie Bushby?
Julie Bushby was Karen Matthews’ friend and neighbour.
Julie was a fierce supporter of Karen when Shannon disappeared and spearheaded the Find Shannon campaign.
While Karen seemingly went to pieces over her missing daughter, Julie took charge of organising search parties, printing t-shirts and keeping Shannon’s story in the public eye.
She was also the chair of the Moorside residents association that eventually helped to locate the missing girl.
Julie still lives in Dewsbury, the estate where Karen and Shannon lived. She has said it will always be her home.
What did Julie Bushby do?
Julie did everything a best friend would do when a child goes missing. She spent the first night holding fort at the local community centre, in case Shannon decided to come home.
She also organised rallies, searches involving Moorside locals and door to door enquiries.
Julie told Channel 5: “The first thing you think, especially when it’s a daughter, is who’s got her? And what are they doing to her?”
What has she said about what really happened to Shannon?
Back in 2017, Julie appeared on This Morning, speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
She said: “I felt sorry for her then (Karen), and I still feel sorry for her now.
“I wanted answers, she kept saying that other people were involved but I wanted to know the truth, why, what.”
She told the hosts that she never got the answers.
During The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews, Julie reveals that the police were focusing on houses of known paedophiles in the area.
She also reveals Karen didn’t want to take part in a candlelight vigil walk to mark three weeks since Shannon’s disappearance. Julie says: “She didn’t give a reason. She just said she didn’t want to.”
Is Julie Bushby still friends with Karen Matthews?
No one can be sure about this, but it’s not likely.
Since being released from prison in April 2012, Karen has kept a low profile.
When Karen was in prison though, Julie visited her on a regular basis, once a month for four years, trying to find the truth.
Since then, Julie has confessed to feeling let down by her former friend.
In the documentary, Julie tells producers: “The whole community were let down. We were foolish enough to believe what came out of her mouth and her family’s mouths.
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