Sherin Mathews: Communiy Meeting Held To Discuss Permanent Memorial For Deceased 3-Year-Old [Video]
The Richardson, Texas community continues to mourn the loss of Sherin Mathews, the little girl whose lifeless body was found just two weeks ago in a culvert under a local road. Recently, several community members got together to talk about a permanent memorial for Sherin to ensure she will never be forgotten.
Makeshift memorials near Sherin’s home and the location where her body was found had been created for the 3-year-old girl after she went missing on the morning of October 7. The items, including stuffed animals, flowers, and candles, were packed up last week. Some of the salvageable items will be cleaned and distributed to children who are in need, WFAA reports.
There were so many various items left by community members for Sherin at these memorials, it took eight large trash bags and 15 bins to hold it all.
One community member reiterated to WFAA the van full of items will be given to a child who is “hurting or in need,” adding, “I’m sure Sherin would love that.”
The little girl, who was adopted from an Indian orphanage just over a year ago by the Mathews family, has deeply impacted people who never knew her during her short life, notes the WFAA report.
She was reportedly abandoned in India by her biological family, who left her in some bushes when just a baby, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Although Sherin was buried this week in a private ceremony, her gravesite location is being kept secret from the public. Her cause of death has yet to be released by the medical examiner.
Sherin Mathews: Vigil For Deceased 3-Year-Old Canceled Over Potential ‘Conflicts’ And ‘Fighting’ #SherinMathews https://t.co/wTKlXNGGpD
— Cia Young (@ciayoungwriter) November 3, 2017
Some members of the Richardson community gathered together to express their feelings about Sherin’s death and how it has impacted them and the entire area. They plan to erect some sort of permanent memorial for the girl that will honor the deceased toddler forever.
One man in attendance told WFAA, “It just breaks my heart that there’s not a place permanently that we can remember her forever.” Another woman said they need an “open place to go” to honor Sherin in a way that will give people “some peace and closure.”
#SherinMathews was laid to rest – her body found 2 weeks after her dad says he put her outside for not drinking milk https://t.co/0Kr5A03lCe
— Crime & Justice (@CrimeJusticeHLN) November 3, 2017
One of the memorial ideas put forth at the meeting was a granite bench that would be inscribed in Sherin’s honor and placed in a Richardson cemetery.
Sherin’s lifeless body was found by a cadaver dog on Sunday, October 22, in a culvert not far from the girl’s family home. Her adoptive father, Wesley Mathews, 37, was arrested the next day and charged with Injury to a Child, a first-degree felony for which he could face 5 to 99 years behind bars if convicted. He is being held on $1,000,000 bond.
An arrest affidavit for Mathews indicates he told police that on October 7, he and Sherin were in the garage of the family home where he was trying to get her to drink milk. He said Sherin eventually began to drink the milk but he “physically assisted” her as she drank. He observed her choking, coughing, and said her “breathing slowed.” Mathews told police that “eventually” he couldn’t feel a pulse on Sherin and believed the little girl was dead. He also admitted moving her body from the family home.
This account differs from the initial story Mathews gave police the morning Sherin disappeared. At that time, he told authorities he had made Sherin stand outside by a tree at 3 a.m. as punishment for not drinking her milk. Mathews claimed that he went outside to check on her just 15 minutes later and she was gone. He was charged with child endangerment and bonded out of jail the next day.
The Mathews’ 4-year-old biological daughter is currently in Child Protective Services (CPS) custody. A custodial hearing is scheduled for November 13, at which time a judge will determine if the girl will be allowed to go home, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
Anyone with information about the Sherin Mathews case can contact the Richardson Police Department at 972-744-4800.
[Featured Image by Tony Gutierrez/AP Images]
