On Monday, the parents of deceased Richardson, Texas girl, Sherin Mathews, are slated to return to court for a custody hearing, which will determine if their 4-year-old biological daughter will be returned home. The girl was removed from the family residence by Child Protective Services shortly after the investigation into Sherin’s disappearance commenced.
Sherin’s adoptive parents, Wesley and Sini Mathews, were initially in court on October 23 for a custody hearing regarding their child, but a judge postponed the matter to November 13, giving Wesley a chance to hire a civil attorney to aid him at the proceeding.
The Mathews’ biological daughter has been in CPS custody for the past three weeks, according to WFAA . Her mother, Sini, has been allowed to visit the girl once a week while she remains in foster care.
Wesley Mathews, however, remains in police custody after being arrested in connection with Sherin’s tragic death.
Sherin’s lifeless body was found by a cadaver dog on Sunday, October 22, in a culvert not far from her family’s 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.
#SherinMathews ‘ parents return to court Monday morning for their 4-year-old biological child https://t.co/oFSOaBUBEl pic.twitter.com/EeiYircteW
— Alisha Ebrahimji (@AlishaEbrahimji) November 12, 2017
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, which she ultimately did. He said he then “physically assisted” her as she drank, subsequently observing that she was choking, coughing, and breathing slowly. 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 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.
Sherin Mathews: Communiy Meeting Held To Discuss Permanent Memorial For Deceased 3-Year-Old [Video] https://t.co/cRIiYm7Dhj
— The Inquisitr (@theinquisitr) November 6, 2017
Although Sherin’s body was released by the medical examiner and she has been laid to rest, her official cause of death is still pending.
Sherin was adopted by Mathews and his wife in the summer of 2016 from India. The orphanage that cared for the little girl said she was found by passersby after being abandoned in some bushes as a baby, according to the Dallas Morning News .
Anyone with information about the Sherin Mathews case can contact the Richardson Police Department at 972-744-4800.
[Featured Image by the Richardson Police Department]
