Criminal defense lawyer Kent Starr is representing Sini Mathews, the Mother of missing toddler Sherin Mathews from Richardson, TX. Starr met with his client at the Mathews’ home yesterday, then offered a brief statement, according to several media sources.
One of the most striking comments that Starr made is that three-year-old Sherin’s adoptive mother has cooperated with law enforcement. That remark stands in stark contrast to an earlier statement made by Richardson Police that the parents stopped cooperating.
Toddler’s father was arrested and released on $250,000 bond
Wesley Mathews, 37, was arrested and charged with abandoning or endangering a child on Saturday and posted $250,000 bond on Sunday. After he was released on the conditions that he surrenders his passport and wears an electronic ankle monitoring device, he and his wife each retained a criminal defense attorney. Police stated that the couple ceased cooperating, as NBC 5 reported.
The Mathews’ toddler daughter has not been seen since around 3 AM on October 7, which is when her father, Wesley, told police that he took her outside and made her stay near a tree approximately 100 feet from the family’s home. He decided to leave her outside alone in the dark until roughly 3:15 AM as a form of discipline after she refused to drink milk.
She was gone when he returned outside to get his little girl.
Little girl did not return home; father called police after doing laundry
Mathews’ allegedly told Richardson Police that he thought his child might come home on her own, it was dark, and he planned to wait until daylight to look for her, and, meanwhile, he did a load of laundry.
Shortly after 8 AM, Mathews’ called the police and reported the little girl missing. He waited five hours to notify police.
According to Mathews, his wife, Sini, slept through everything that happened through the early morning hours on Saturday, while her daughter was forced to stay outside as punishment. At present, the little girl’s mother is not facing charges since she has not committed a crime.
Mother reportedly ‘distraught’ but ‘very hopeful’ daughter will ‘be returned.’
Starr stated that the child’s mother is “distraught” that the toddler is missing, according to NBC 4 (Los Angeles). He further noted that most of all, his client wants the little girl home and feels “very hopeful” that Sherin “will be returned.”
When reporters presented him with the question of why the toddler’s mother has an attorney, Starr stated that “everybody has a right to legal counsel,” the Dallas Morning News (DMN) reported. While her husband has, in fact, been charged with criminal child abandonment or endangerment, Starr stressed that it does not automatically mean that the mother is also involved in any crime.
According to Starr, his client has not been accused of “any wrongdoing.” He emphasized that the child’s mother has no charges pending against her. He said the Mathews family loves their daughter, who was adopted. The reason she has not publicly addressed her child’s disappearance, according to Starr and DMN, is that “some individuals mourn differently.”
Law enforcement authorities are continuing to investigate and search for Sherin Mathews. Police have affirmed that the little girl is still believed missing. She is three-years-old, around three feet tall, and weighs approximately 22 pounds. She is described as Asian and as having limited verbal skills. She also has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about the little girl or her whereabouts is asked to call police at (972) 744-4800.
