Child Protective Services removed missing toddler Sherin Mathews’ older sister from the Mathews’ family home in Richardson, TX, according to, CBS (Dallas-Fort Worth). The little girl’s four-year-old sister was reportedly taken from the home on Monday and is now in Foster Care, according to a spokesperson for Child Protective Services (CPS).
News agencies in the Richardson area have reported that Wesley Mathews, 37, and his wife have had prior contact with CPS. Details concerning CPS’s previous involvement have not been disclosed. The agency’s spokeswoman, Marissa Gonzales, stated that CPS is “working with” authorities on the disappearance of the toddler, according to the Dallas Morning News (DMN).
Police say missing child in ‘grave and immediate danger,’ Amber Alert active
Law enforcement authorities believe that three-year-old Sherin Mathews is in “grave and immediate danger,” DMN reported. An Amber Alert has been in effect since Saturday afternoon.
Police officials describe the little girl as three-feet tall, 22 pounds, and Asian. She reportedly has black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing pink flip-flops and a pink top, along with black pajama bottoms when she was last seen. Police have also stated that Sherin has “developmental issues,” as well as “limited verbal skills,” the DMN cited.
Little girl forced outside 3 AM disappeared, father left her alone with coyotes in area
Sherin disappeared between 3 AM and 3:15 AM Saturday morning.
Her father, Wesley, took his small daughter outside to punish her for not drinking milk. He instructed her to stay outside near a tree approximately 100 feet from the family’s backyard fence, which parallels an alley and railroad tracks.
Mathews allegedly told police, cited in an affidavit, that he returned to where he left his daughter after 15 minutes and she was gone.
He reportedly also told law enforcement that he “knew coyotes had been seen in the alley,” the same alley where he said he left his little girl, DMN noted.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, coyote attacks “are rare,” DMN reported. There have only been two humans killed by coyotes since the 1980s that the Humane Society has recorded.
In light of knowing that there were coyotes in the area, the Mathews family waited approximately 5 hours to notify police that the toddler was missing.
Police question family’s timeline, delay in reporting toddler missing
Kevin Perlich is the spokesman for Richardson police. He stated that police want the Mathews family to answer the question concerning the timeline of the toddler’s disappearance until the time she was reported, DMN relayed. “Why was the last sighting at 3 o’clock,” he postulated, but her parents did not contact police until after 8 AM. Additional questions for Sherin’s parents that police want them to answer include why the little girl was outside alone and how long she was outside near the alley.
Church members, police, dogs search for little girl, father posted bond
Members of the church that the Mathews family attends, Emanuel Bible Chapel, helped police search as field close to the family’s home. Church members also searched additional areas in and surrounding their upscale Richardson neighborhood. DMN reported that police conducted a door-to-door search using dogs, trying to pick up a scent or find other “potential evidence.”
Church elder, Jose Cherian, reportedly described Mathews and his wife as “good parents,” DMN stated. “The parents are so loving. They loved Sherin very much.”
Mathews was arrested and stands charged with abandoning or endangering a child. The toddler’s father was released from police custody on Sunday when he posted bond in the amount of $250,000. Police ask that anyone with information to contact the Richardson Police Department at (972)744-4800.
