Insufficient Evidence That Sherin Mathews Was Abused by Parents, Says Report

There is insufficient evidence to determine whether Sherin Mathews, the child found dead under mysterious circumstances in a culvert in Dallas, was abused by her adoptive parents, according to a report released by the U.S. Child Protective Services (CPS), Dallas News reported.

“There was insufficient evidence to determine if the deceased child was physically abused by her mother. An unknown perpetrator was confirmed for the physical abuse of the deceased child, which may have happened prior to her adoption,” the CPS report obtained by Crime Online stated. The report added that the allegation of physical neglect of three-year-old Sherin Mathews by her parents — Wesley Mathews and Sini Mathews — was not confirmed.

Even though a doctor told CPS that Sherin’s shoulders were infected and had questionable fractures, other doctors and specialists who had treated the child in the past said that they did not have concerns about her being either abused or neglected, the report added.

“It was reported that the deceased child was hospitalized after the mother noticed swelling around the child’s right shoulder. The mother reported that the child fell on a slide at the park. The mother stated she gave an over the counter pain medication to the child and put the child down for a nap,” the report stated.

Since the U.S. Family and Protective Services could not guarantee the safety of the deceased child’s older sibling, the sibling was removed and placed in foster care. “The sibling had two forensic interviews. Both times the sibling discussed the deceased child being sick, throwing up a lot and that the family could not find her,” the report added.

Medical professionals who were contacted by CPS stated that the child was in better health and had better weight following her adoption, the report said, adding that the mother, Sini Mathews, told investigators that Sherin did not attend daycare because she wanted to ensure the child ate sufficiently to gain weight. Sini said that the child was a picky eater and it would take her 45 minutes to finish a meal.

In January this year, an indictment by the grand jury stated that Wesley Mathews used a deadly weapon to commit the crime. “During the commission of the offense, defendant did use a deadly weapon, the exact nature and description of which is not known to the Grand Jury,” the indictment said.

On Jan. 12, he was charged for capital murder. Initially, Wesley said that Sherin was made to stand outside in the middle of the night since she wasn’t drinking her milk, and he later changed his statement to say that she choked to death.

However, autopsy reports revealed that she had injuries in various stages of healing on her body and died of homicidal violence. Sini Mathews has been charged with child abandonment. Sherin’s parents relinquished custody and parental rights to their 4-year-old biological daughter.