Missing 3 Year Old in Texas

[usedtobenice]

She lived such a tragic life. She arrived at the orphanage in India after being found in the bushes behind it.

[Chicken bones]

They still have not officially identified the body as her. (But yeah, it is her). Here's the latest from the Richardson PD:

Sherin Mathews Case Update 10/23/17
This afternoon, Wesley Mathews was arrested and charged with Injury to a Child (TPC 22.04), a first degree felony punishable by life or from 5 to 99 years in prison.  Mr. Mathews voluntarily arrived at the Richardson Police Station with his attorney and asked to speak with detectives. He provided an alternate statement of events from those which he had given previously, regarding the disappearance of Sherin. 
Wesley Mathews is currently in the Richardson City Jail and his bond has been set at $1,000,000.
We are still awaiting a positive identification from the Dallas County Medical Examiners office for the child's body found yesterday, believed to be Sherin Mathews. #sherinmathews

[Howl]

9 hours ago, Chicken bones said:

Mr. Mathews voluntarily arrived at the Richardson Police Station with his attorney and asked to speak with detectives. He provided an alternate statement of events from those which he had given previously, regarding the disappearance of Sherin. 

Interesting development. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

He's had plenty of time to come up with a much more plausible story without incriminating him as much as the truth would. Like she accidentally fell down the stairs or some other accident. And he decided to hide her body out of fear he wouldn't be believed it was an accident. I'm guessing he won't admit he beat her to death. Maybe he will admit he spanked her. 

[JMO]

I'm wondering if he did force her to drink the milk and ended up water boarding/drowning her.  That poor sweet child. 

[anniebgood]

CNN says that :

Quote

"Wesley Mathews then physically assisted the 3-year-old in drinking the milk," the affidavit states. "The 3-year-old began to choke. She was coughing and her breathing slowed. Eventually Wesley Mathews no longer felt a pulse on the child and believed she had died."

1

It also said that he was giving her milk in the garage at 3AM. Who in the hell makes their kid drink in the garage at 3AM? This story is just as weird as his first one. 

[Howl]

The dad has confessed to disposing of the body. From CNN

Quote

The adoptive father of a Texas 3-year-old who had been missing for two and a half weeks admitted to police that he disposed of the child's body after she choked on her milk, according to a probable cause affidavit released Tuesday.

Previously, Wesley Mathews had told authorities he made Sherin Mathews stand outside because she wouldn't drink her milk, and she disappeared.

Authorities confirmed Tuesday that the body of a child found Sunday in a culvert beneath a road was that of Sherin Mathews. The cause of death was still pending, the Richardson Police Department posted on its verified Facebook page, citing the Dallas County Medical Examiners Office.

Wesley Mathews has been charged with injury to a child, police say.

Wesley Mathews has been charged with injury to a child, a felony punishable with a maximum 99 years in prison, Richardson police said. He was being held on $1 million bond.

The affidavit states Wesley Mathews and his attorney visited the Richardson Police Department on Monday afternoon and requested an interview.

The father told a detective that he had been trying to get Sherin to drink her milk in the garage, and she wouldn't listen to him, the affidavit states. She then began drinking the milk.

"Wesley Mathews then physically assisted the 3-year-old in drinking the milk," the affidavit states. "The 3-year-old began to choke. She was coughing and her breathing slowed. Eventually Wesley Mathews no longer felt a pulse on the child and believed she had died."

The events happened on October 7, the affidavit states.

Not buying this story entirely, of course, because the dad is not taking responsibility.  

We can't know what was going on earlier with CPS, but I really, really want to know. 

[anniebgood]

I think he's still lying. This whole thing rings untrue. 

[Zola]

Thank you, Forensics. That rat bastard can try to lie and weasel out of this all he wants, but the truth of what really happened to dear little Sherin will come at autopsy, when we'll all hear her voice as she tells us from the evidence on her tiny body. Poor baby. 

[tsukinokawa]

few points I want to make now before I forget what I was about to say (after all I have felt for a long time a need to comment on this) 

1. RIP little princess, what a shame your life had to end this way and even bigger shame is that your adoptive parents really didn't appreciate you. 

2. I think father's new story is equal amount of bullshit as the first one. I mean if the kid did indeed die by coyotes or choking on milk or another "fairytale" way, why on earth did he feel a need to hide the body? was he concealing something more terrible ?

3. they say that he wanted Sherin to drink milk at 3am. no offence but imo the child should have been at bed sleeping, not drinking milk. (or maybe some parents  could tell me if there could have been reason for 3am milk) 

4. What kind of parent leaves their child outside without making sure of the safety ? wasn't there any kind room in house where she could have been placed instead

5. Has it actually ever been confirmed that Sherin was mentally challenged ?

6. I noticed that in the tags there's that tbuac  book, has it actually been confirmed that this was another innocent blood shed by that book ? 

[AuntKrazy]

@tsukinokawa - the tag about the book was me - pure speculation when I started the thread. That is why I put the question mark after it.  I live in the DFW area and sadly just had a gut feeling about this case. 

That the father has stuck to a "punishing at 3am" part to me has been odd; except for those I know in fundie circles who believe in that horrible book and who's interactions are so insulated that they are disconnected to how others perceive certain actions.  The fundies I know who follow such child training methods would all nod in agreement about punishing a child at the time of the infraction, especially if it's at 3am. . . even though the rest of the planet says "WTF?!?!?!"  

But it is ONLY speculation and just something that I am watching for in the details that emerge.  If the tag needs to be removed, then I would ask the powers-that-be (moderators) to please do so.

 

[nssherlock]

8 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

He's had plenty of time to come up with a much more plausible story without incriminating him as much as the truth would. Like she accidentally fell down the stairs or some other accident. And he decided to hide her body out of fear he wouldn't be believed it was an accident. I'm guessing he won't admit he beat her to death. Maybe he will admit he spanked her. 

Even if he "only" held her forcibly and poured the milk down her throat so that she chocked to death, he is guilty of murder.

Why the idiot didn't call 911 at that point and declare it an "accident" just goes to show how twisted he is.  

[tsukinokawa]

@AuntKrazy I didn't notice the question mark in the tag. I personally pray that Little Sherin wasn't exposed to that book's teachings. 

 fundies tend to have pretty screwed way of thinking when it comes to punishing kids, I mean the Duggars have the famous jewelry box incident (ttbt I still can't comprehend why Jana had to reward Jessa's bad behaviour) and naturally the mister jerkley cheatison saga. Plus mr. Michael "children are for us to be abused" pearl is pretty popular in the fundie and honestly speaking I would so love to have Jo Frost tearing him apart. 

[HarryPotterFan]

5 hours ago, JMO said:

I'm wondering if he did force her to drink the milk and ended up water boarding/drowning her.  That poor sweet child. 

Seems like a possibility if he "physically assisted" her in drinking the milk. I agree with others though, it still makes no sense. It's 3 AM. He didn't call 911 immediately. He took her out to the damn garage. And he claims she was basically starved at the orphanage and they would give her milk in he middle of the night to help her nutrition. It's been enough time that her weight should be up. And if it's true, the parents should have been giving her nutrition supplements. He's full of lies.

[ViolaSebastian]

But why would he 'physically assist' the child in drinking the milk if she was already drinking the milk? Unless he snapped and shoved it down her throat in a rage.

I imagine this isn't the last story we'll hear about how this poor, sweet girl died.

[Glasgowghirl]

If she accidentally choked why hide her body? What else did he have to hide? Still don't believe him. Either him, his wife or both of them abused that child and she died or the knew who hurt her and let them do it. Why do people bother having kids or adopting them if all they are going to do is abuse them. Sherin would have been better off in India.

[Penny]

I don't think Dad is telling the true story. Remember, they found the body on Sunday and suddenly he shows up with his lawyer to talk to the cops? I think he only came forward since they found the body. Also the police are talking about charging someone else? I wonder if Mom was involved too.

[kacarlton]

CNN says that :

"Wesley Mathews then physically assisted the 3-year-old in drinking the milk," the affidavit states. "The 3-year-old began to choke. She was coughing and her breathing slowed. Eventually Wesley Mathews no longer felt a pulse on the child and believed she had died."

1

 

And also the part about eventually not finding a pulse. So he did nothing but stand there and watch her die???

[Georgiana]

Regarding the 3 am stuff, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that part is legit.  She appears tiny and may have had a history of poor nutrition. Sometimes doctors recommend those kids be fed WHENEVER they ask, even in the middle of the night. Their bodies need so much to catch up, that they may legitimately need a midnight snack. That could also explain any other reported delays. The human brain is a resource hog, but when resources are running low, it will attempt to be economical, sacrificing its own development/higher functions to keep the essential organs functioning. Luckily, provided scarcity is only temporary, it can largely catch up, especially when given a surplus of nutrients and stimulation.

It takes so much to overcome a rough start to life. It breaks my heart that she made it so far only to have this happen. She was a real fighter, and the world needs more humans like that. I hope she gets justice.

[chaotic life]

If a child is so failure to thrive that they require assistance to eat at 3am, then you put in a g-tube. That said, Indian adoptees are tiny. We were told to expect 3-5 years after homecoming before my son would even register on the US growth charts. They are typically both genetically prone to being small and significantly malnourished and they don’t recover quickly.

Undoubtably he was feeding her in the garage because if you force feed a child, you will most assuredly make them vomit. I had a catch 22 with my g-tuber. Put it on a pump all night abs he would disconnect it and feed his bed instead but bolus it and he would induce vomiting. Ultimately I settled for lots and lots of hours of Barney to keep him occupied and use a slow pump feeding while awake. But if we traveled and that was not an option, I usually did bolus feedings in the bathtub for containment and easy clean up and hoped he kept some of it down.

India has a separate process for special needs adoptions though. They do not require preference to Indian or Indian heritage parents, and their adoptions are expedited. However, what classifies as special needs is a large range. It could be significant or it could be minor.

[Demonfan]

As someone of Indian heritage I know that it is common for Indian parents feed their children, and assist them to drink by holding the cup. This may continue until 7 years old or so. Not all Indian families feed their children until they are 7 years old obviously. However, it would not be odd to see parents feeding a 4-5 year old. It has also been my experience that parents may determine how much food or drink a child needs to eat, regardless of the child's desire. It is done with good intentions, but can be difficult to watch a child fed when it has no agency. I am wondering if there was a history of Sherin's parents feeding her, sometimes aggressively. I wonder also, if physical punishment was associated with her lack of eating?  The whole mess is just so soul crushing.

[HarryPotterFan]

1 hour ago, Georgiana said:

Sometimes doctors recommend those kids be fed WHENEVER they ask, even in the middle of the night.

That would make sense, but if she asked to be fed why would she refuse to drink milk/be force fed?

[kacarlton]

That would make sense, but if she asked to be fed why would she refuse to drink milk/be force fed?

I’m gonna go with her “dad” was an evil SOB.

[HearMeRoar]

There is an alternative scenario where I could see the milk story being somewhat true, especially if the parents are fundie types. This could have been an hours long ordeal. It may have started with her refusing to drink her milk earlier in the evening. She may have gone through hours of punishment (torture),  trying to force her to drink her milk, and it finally ended up in her "father" snapping and killing her in some way - maybe by waterboarding, with her ultimately choking and drowning. The autopsy will be very telling. My heart is broken for this beautiful, precious girl.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

8 hours ago, tsukinokawa said:

3. they say that he wanted Sherin to drink milk at 3am. no offence but imo the child should have been at bed sleeping, not drinking milk. (or maybe some parents  could tell me if there could have been reason for 3am milk) 

I don't think my experience is anything like this situation, but around the years my kids were 1 to 4 years old, there would be nights every so often when my husband or I would be feeding them in the wee small hours of the morning. For different reasons, their sleep schedule would get upset during the day, they would miss a meal, or not eat as much as usual, and they would wake up early, because they were hungry. 

We developed a routine, when those nights happened.  Either my husband or I would fix something filling, but boring, like oatmeal and feed our child in the kitchen with only a dim light on. We didn't talk to them much or do anything "exciting" that might give them a reason to want to repeat it night after night. So, quiet boring meal of pleasant but boring food and back to bed. No "discipline" (barf) or control issues, just a kid with a tiny, empty tummy.

Poor Sherin.