Richardson, Texas girl Sherin Mathews, 3, has been missing for more than a week and the quest to find her continues. According to her father, she vanished after he made her stand outside in the middle of the night as punishment for not drinking her milk. A Dallas-area attorney has spoken out about Sherin’s case, saying the little girl’s father will be sent to prison based on one or more of his actions.
Sherin was adopted by Wesley Mathews and his wife Sini in the summer of 2016 from an adoption agency in India, according to the Times of India .
On Monday, attorney Chad Ruback told The CW 33’s NewsFix that he believes “ Mr. Mathews is going to be convicted .” He continued by saying that Sherin’s father “…is going to spend some time in prison for what he did.” Ruback added that the length of time Mathews obtains in prison will depend upon what he’s convicted of.
Mathews, 37, was arrested by Richardson Police not long after reporting the girl missing and was charged with endangering a child. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Mathews told police he took Sherin outside at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, October 7, and told her to stand close to a large tree located near the family’s backyard, reported CBS 19 . Mathews alleges that around 15 minutes later he went to check on Sherin and she was gone.
Family just gave me this photo of Sherin Mathews. She’s 3 feet tall & 22 pounds. Limited communication skills & developmental issues. pic.twitter.com/c5SdJ7hWDn
— Allison Harris (@allison__news) October 8, 2017
The tree where Sherin stood is located behind a fence and across an alley about 100 feet from the family’s residence, according to the Dallas Morning News . The affidavit further says that Mathews told police that coyotes have been seen roaming the alleyway near where he told Sherin to stand.
Ruback commented to Newsfix that Mathews “…stupidly admitted that he knew there were coyotes out in the area where he left her.” The lawyer noted that placing a child in immediate danger could result in up to two decades behind bars for Mathews.
The Mathews’ 4-year-old biological daughter was removed from the home by Child Protective Services last week. A spokesperson for the agency said CPS has had contact with the family in the past, but did not divulge details as to why, according to CBS DFW .
Richardson Police have announced that the Mathews’ 2013 maroon Acura MDX SUV was not at the residence just an hour after Sherin disappeared. Authorities are asking residents and business owners that are located in the vicinity where the Acura could have traveled to review any surveillance video they have from Saturday, October 7 between the hours of 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. for images of the vehicle.
https://www.facebook.com/RichardsonPD/posts/1492078664209440
Ruback stated that once police find out where the SUV was at that time in question, they will have a more definitive clue as to what happened to Sherin, according to Newsfix .
On October 8, Sherin’s father posted $250,000 bond and was released from custody, according to The Dallas Morning News . As part of his release, Mathews is required to wear an electronic monitoring device and surrender his passport.
Authorities indicate that Sherin suffers from developmental issues and her verbal communication skills are limited.
Sherin was last seen on October 7 wearing a pink long-sleeve top, black pajama bottoms, and pink flip-flop sandals. She is described as being an Asian female who weighs around 22 pounds and is approximately 3-feet in height. Sherin has black hair and brown eyes.
The Richardson Police Department is urging anyone with any information about Sherin or her whereabouts to call 972-744-4800.
[Featured Image by The Richardson Police Department]