Police searching for missing Texas toddler Sherin Mathews; seek public’s help

Richardson Police want neighbors and businesses in a 30-minute radius of Sherin Mathews’ family home in Texas to check any surveillance system footage for the Mathews’ vehicle on October 7. The morning the three-year-old girl disappeared the family’s 2013 maroon Acura MDX SUV was also missing from the Mathews’ home. The footage sought is from 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM on Saturday, Richardson Police posted on the department’s Facebook page yesterday evening.

Law enforcement is working to “retrace the path of the MDX,” NBC (Dallas-Fort Worth) relayed. The SUV’s license plate number is BSV3263. Richardson police have stated that it is crucial for people to review footage as soon as possible. Generally, surveillance systems “retain video for only seven days.”

The police department’s social media post pointed out that people reviewing their video footage should bear in mind that the timestamp could be “different from the actual time.” Anyone who has the video showing the Mathews’ maroon SUV is asked to preserve the footage and give it to Richardson police.

Police believe that the footage of the family’s vehicle might shed light on events that took place the morning that Sherin Mathews disappeared, WFAA reported.

Little girl disappeared after refusing to drink, forced to stay outside alone

The toddler’s father, Wesley Mathews reportedly made his little girl go outside and told her to stay by a tree at 3 AM after she refused to drink milk. He allegedly told police that he was disciplining her, he left her all alone by a tree around 100 feet from their home’s backyard fence, which is aligned with an alley and railroad tracks.

Her father additionally stated that she was missing when he returned at 3:15 AM. When couldn’t find her, he returned to the house, thinking that she might find her way back home.

It was dark, he said, so he planned to wait until daylight to look for his daughter. While waiting, he washed a load of laundry. He waited approximately five hours to call police around 8 AM and tell them that his little girl was missing.

Father free on bond, not called a suspect in daughter’s disappearance ‘yet’

According to Mathews, his wife Sini slept through everything that he allegedly told police had happened. He was arrested on Saturday and faces charges of child abandonment or endangerment. He posted bond and was released on Sunday, yet was ordered to surrender his passport and wear an electronic ankle monitor as conditions of his release.

Sergeant Kevin Perlich is the public information officer for Richardson Police Department.

When presented with the question whether Mathews, 37, is a suspect in his toddler daughter’s disappearance, Perlich stated, “We are not coming out and saying that just yet,” NBC reported.

At this time, the toddler’s mother has not been accused of or charged with committing any crime. She does, however, have a criminal defense attorney. Kent Starr has been retained as her legal counsel. Starr stated on Wednesday that all the little girl’s mother wants is for her daughter to be returned, WFAA noted.

Police ask public to ‘remain patient’ as investigators work toward ‘resolution’

Law enforcement has not indicated who is believed to have driven the SUV the morning Sherin vanished. The fact that is known is that officers are trying to build the timeline of what happened the morning that the little girl disappeared, according to FOX 4.

Perlich asked that the public “remain patient.” He pointed out that investigators have “a lot of information to go through.” He also assured that authorities are “confident we will be able to get something from this that will bring us to a resolution.”

Tree where toddler last left standing alone becomes tribute for toddler

People living in the toddler’s upscale Richardson neighborhood and strangers have created a makeshift tribute for the little girl near the tree where her father reportedly left her alone in the dark, FOX 4 noted. People have left flowers, stuffed animals, and a framed copy of the Amber Alert that was issued. One woman left an empty milk container bearing the message, “No child gets punished over the cup of milk.” She told WFAA that the message is meant for Sini Mathews.

Omair Siddiqi lives roughly five minutes from the Mathews’ home. Siddiqi and Sara Movahedi have organized a community gathering that will be held at 7 PM this evening. “Shoulder2Shoulder for Sherin” will take place at the tree where Sherin was allegedly last seen. He stated that the event is to honor the missing little girl. The event’s description states, “As a community, we are powerless to act, as any little thing could impede the ongoing investigation. We are, however, not powerless to pray.”

Siddiqi has used his Facebook account to post updates about Sherin Mathews and her disappearance. Last night, he shared videotape as he retraced the steps the toddler would have taken on the morning of October 7.

He also turned the camera to enable viewers to see what the little girl would have seen. There was barely any light, only the glow of a few distant street lamps.

Mathews stated that he left his daughter outside, alone at 3 AM in an area where he told police that he had seen coyotes. If true, he also left a three-year-old in pitch darkness with crickets and insects making the only sounds that could be heard, according to Siddiqi and the video he shared on Facebook last night.