Wesley Mathews, Father of Missing Indian Girl Sherin, Arrested in Texas

The Richardson Police department arrested Wesley Mathews, the father of three-year-old Sherin who went missing in the Texas city, on Oct. 23. According to the police, the Indian American father faces charges of causing injury to a child. It is a first degree felony that is punishable by a term of 5 to 99 years in prison.

Mathews was charged after he gave “an alternate statement of events” about his daughter’s disappearance on Oct. 7. The statement differed from the first one he gave on her disappearance. His arrest came a day after a small body, said “most likely” to be of Sherin, was found in a culvert near the family home. The culvert has now become a place of service where people of Richardson have left prayers, candles, and toys.

Wesley Mathews

On Oct. 7, by the admission of 37-year-old Wesley, Sherin Mathews was scolded and sent out at 3 am in the night, 100 meters from the house, as punishment for not finishing her milk. When Wesley went out to check on her 15 minutes later, he found her missing. He waited until 8 am to sound the police. Sherin has limited verbal communication skills and was developmentally challenged.

According to Police Sgt Kevin Perlich, Wesley Mathews and his attorney came to the Richardson Police Station and gave different versions of Sherin’s disappearance.

The body that was recovered on Oct. 22 has not been identified yet. According to Sgt Perlich, while the autopsy results from Dallas Country medical examiner were awaited, the investigators don’t have any reason to believe that the body is not of Sherin Mathews. The investigators are waiting for news on cause of death. The lane Sherin was standing in is known to be frequented by coyotes.

The fields and other areas around the girl’s home have been searched by drones, cadaver dogs, and teams from multiple agencies in the last two weeks. The teams also checked with neighbors and shops nearby if they have footage of the family’s maroon Acura SUV. The vehicle had reportedly gone out between 4 am and 5 am.

Texas Child Protection Services (CPS), after they heard of Sherin’s mysterious disappearance, took Mathews’ four-year-old biological daughter and put her under foster care. Wesley and his wife Sini on Oct. 23 appeared before the court in connection with their biological daughter’s custody. The hearing has been marked for November 13. She would be in foster care until the hearing.