Texas Girl Sherin Mathews’ Sister to be Released to Extended Family

The older sister of Sherin Matthews, who was put under foster care when the 3-year-old child went missing in Richardson, Texas, last month, will soon be allowed to live with extended family members, a family court judge ruled in Dallas on Nov. 13. Sherin was later found dead in a culvert near her house.

Sini Mathews, their mother, attended the hearing and is able to visit her daughter in foster care once a week.

United States Child protective Services (CPS) took custody of the sister on Oct. 9, the day Sherin went missing. Their father Wesley Matthews was charged with felony, child endangerment and has $1 million bail to his name. Mathews confessed to “physically assisting” his adopted daughter to drink milk when he turned himself in to the police on Oct. 23. He said that Sherin choked on the milk and died after he forced her to drink the beverage. According to his confession, once her pulse stopped, Matthews disposed her dead body in the culvert.

Sini Mathews, Sherin’s adoptive mother, is still under investigation, Sgt Kevin Perlich of Richardson Police Department told India West. The cause of the death of the toddler has not yet been released by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office.

According to Marissa Gonzales, the spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, Sherin’s sister will not be moved immediately but she could be moved anytime. Neither the Child Protection Services nor the family court gave away details of the relatives who would have the custody of the child, Dallas News reported.

Sini’s visitation rights after her daughter is placed with relatives are not clear yet. She is still trying to gain custody of her biological daughter. A hearing on this matter has been reset for Nov. 29 because of “aggravated circumstances”, although the court did not make those circumstances clear.

Wesley Mathews, who is serving time in prison, did not attend the hearing on Nov. 13. His attorney David Kleckner told the media: “My client wants to make it clear that he loves his children and his wife and he’s a good family man.”

Kleckner’s request to have Wesley Mathews attend the custody hearing was denied.

Sherin was buried on Oct. 31 in a private ceremony. Sini Mathews’ attorney released a statement on the choice of a private burial: “Because of the intense press and social media attention in this case, the family chose to keep the ceremony private so the focus could be on Sherin’s future in Heaven and not on her tragic death on earth. Because of personal security concerns and threats of grave desecration, they have chosen to keep the burial location private as well. Sherin deserves that assurance of peace.”

The couple adopted Sherin 17 months ago from an orphanage at Nalanda in Bihar.