The Free Press Journal

SHERIN CHOKED ON MILK AND DIED, SAYS MISSING GIRL'S FATHER

Mathews had previously claimed that Sherin went missing after he sent her outside their home at around 3 am on October 7 as punishment for not drinking her milk

- AGENCIES

The foster father of a 3year-old Indian girl, who is missing for over two weeks, has told police that his daughter choked on milk and he “believed she had died”, according to a media report on Tuesday.

Wesley Mathews, 37, the father of Sherin Mathews, was re-arrested and charged with first-degree felony injury to a child due to a conflictin­g statement to police.

The arrest came a day after the body of a small child was found in a culvert near their home in suburban Dallas and police fear that it could be that of Sherin. An arrest warrant obtained by local TV Station WFAA detailed the “conflictin­g story” that led to the re-arrest of Sherin’s father.

The warrant states that Mathews told police that his daughter choked on milk in the early morning hours of October 7 and he “believed she had died.”

He said he “physically assisted” Sherin in drinking her milk when she wouldn’t listen to him, according to the warrant.

“She was coughing and her breathing slowed,” the warrant reads. “Eventually, Wesley Mathews no longer felt a pulse on the child and believed she had died.” He then admitted to police that he removed the body from the home, the warrant reads. Mathews had previously claimed that Sherin went missing after he sent her outside their home at around 3 am on October 7 as punishment for not drinking her milk.

He was arrested then and charged with felony endangerme­nt to a child and was placed on electronic ankle monitoring. He also surrendere­d his passport as a condition of making bond on October 9.

He was re-arrested for felony injury to a child after providing investigat­ors at the Richardson Police Department with the conflictin­g story.

“When they came in, they provided us with some informatio­n that was contrary to what we had previously been told regarding Sherin Mathews’ disappeara­nce,” said Kevin Perlich, Richardson Police Department spokespers­on.

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