The disappearance of a little girl who was made to stand outside her family’s house in Texas could be linked to a trip taken by the family car that morning, police said.
Sherin Mathews, three, vanished from outside her parents’ Dallas home around 3am on October 7. An hour later, the family’s SUV left; only after it returned at 5am did her father, Wesley Mathews, call police, investigators say.
He told officers that the girl disappeared after being made to stand outside as a punishment, but cops believe the car may hold the key to her disappearance.
Disappeared: Sherin Mathews (left) disappeared at 3am on October 7 in Richardson, Texas. Dad Wesley (right) was charged with child endangerment for leaving her outside at night
Punishment: Mathews told cops he made her stand here, in an area where coyotes had been seen, because she didn’t drink her milk. Cops say the family’s SUV was spotted leaving home
Cops say they are looking for video footage of the area around the time of the car’s unexpected journey in the hopes that its movement can be traced.
‘We would like to thank those who have provided tips and video up to this point,’ Richardson police said on their Facebook page. ‘We are diligently working our way through all of the material.
‘We continue to request businesses and residents within a 30-minute drive of the 900 block of Sunningdale to check your video systems to see if there is any footage that may have captured a 2013 maroon Acura MDX SUV on Saturday, October 7th, between 4AM and 5AM.
‘It is important this check be conducted before a system overwrite may take place. Thank you once again for all of the assistance.’
Sought: Cops are searching for footage of the family’s maroon Acura MDX (example pictured), which they say left and returned to the home before Wesley Mathews called police
It’s not clear who was driving the vehicle at the time it left the home.
Mathews told the Richardson Police Department that he’d ordered Sherin to stand outside near a large tree behind a fence in their home because she’d refused to drink any milk.
He also told police that he knew the alley next to the home is frequented by coyotes, but investigators say there’s no indication the girl was dragged off.
Sherin was last seen wearing black leggings with a pink shirt and pink sandals. She has developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills.
Mathews didn’t call police until five hours after the child’s disappearance, something that Sgt. Kevin Perlich said ‘does not seem like a normal response’ to the situation.
He was arrested and charged with abandoning or endangering a child; he was released on $250,000 bond and made to wear an ankle bracelet.
Investigators have seized three vehicles, cellphones and laptops from the family.
Bailed: Wesley (right) has been released on bond with an ankle bracelet. Cops want CCTV from within a 30-minute drive of the 900 block of Sunningdale, Richardson