Wesley Mathews, the adoptive father of the missing 3-year-old Indian girl, Sherin Mathews, was arrested after he confessed to removing the child’s body from their home after the child had choked on her milk and died.
Wesley Mathews, 37, was charged Monday afternoon with first-degree felony injury to a child, a crime punishable by life imprisonment.
Sherin, who was adopted from India last year, reportedly went missing on 7 October.
It was contrary to what we were initially told when she was first reported missing. And based upon that, what he told us, the most appropriate charge was injury to a child. And so we have arrested him and charged him with that.Sgt. Kevin Perlich, PIO, Richardson Police
In his earlier statement to the Richardson police, Wesley had said that he sent Sherin out of the house at 3 am on 7 October, as a punishment for not drinking milk and that she had disappeared when he went to check on her about 15 minutes later.
After Sherin’s dissappearance, the parents also lost custody of their 4-year-old biological child, under the Child Protection Services. Although, there are reportedly no charges against Sini Mathews, her adoptive mother.
Cadaver dogs lead the police to a body, which was found in a culvert and was later confirmed to be Sherin’s.
Police are also awaiting an official cause of death from the medical examiner's office.
(With inputs from AP)
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