The Met police is liaising with other forces who have dealt with similar missing schoolgirl cases as the hunt for Tia Sharp continues.

Over 80 officers are involved in the investigation and the Met are now talking to other forces, including West Yorkshire police who dealt with the fake kidnapping of Shannon Matthews.

The school girl was the subject of a major police hunt after she went missing in February 2008 but was later found at a house belonging to the uncle of her mother’s partner.

Karen Matthews and her accomplice Michael Donovan, from Dewsbury, were convicted in December 2008 of her kidnap, which they committed in a plan to claim £50,000 in reward money.

 

A Met police spokeswoman said: “We liaise with all officers that have dealt with similar cases.”

The search for 12-year-old is now in its seventh day. Officers went through the bins of houses neighbouring Tia’s grandmothers house Christine Sharp.

Christine’s partner, Stuart Hazell, was interviewed by police yesterday evening as a witness and later returned home. He is due to make a statement later on today.

Anyone with information should call the incident room on 0208 721 4005 or Missing People on 116 000 quoting reference 12MIS025216.