Sadly, a special needs toddler from Richardson is still missing.
Sherin Mathews was reportedly last seen by her father, Wesley Mathews, in the early morning hours of last Saturday morning.
Richardson Police released more information about the timeline the girl’s father provided police about what he did in the hours after his daughter disappeared.
At 3:15 a.m., Mathews said that he walked outside and realized his daughter was not standing at the tree he had told her to stand at, about 15 minutes before.
He reportedly punished the girl for not drinking her milk. The girl has developmental issues and limited speech, say authorities.
The tree is about 100 feet from the family home along Sunningdale in Richardson.
Mathews then set out to look for his daughter, according to Sgt. Kevin Perlich of the Richardson Police Department.
The father returned home, hoping that the girl would find her way back home on her own, according to Perlich.
Mathews also thought that he would have better luck in finding the three-year-old in the daylight.
Then, he reportedly did a load of laundry before calling 911 at 8:12 a.m.
Police said that they will not be releasing the audio of Mathews making the 911 call, as it is part of the ongoing investigation.
The girl’s mother was reportedly asleep during this time, according to the investigation. She is not facing charges at this time.
The community is up in arms about the case of missing Sherin Mathews and many people have volunteered since an Amber Alert was sent out.
The alert was discontinued on Monday because of a lack of leads, according to police.
“It’s a little girl, you know. It should matter to everyone,” said Casey Urqhart of Garland.
The young man drove up to the family’s home in the 900 block of Sunningdale with a key used to lift water main lids.
“I just saw her on the news and learned about yesterday that she was left outside in the middle of the night and I wanted to come out and see if I could help,” said Urqhart.
Citizens, along with police officers and agents with the FBI, US Marshals Office, have been leaving nothing unturned in the search for the special needs girl.
Police have also canvassed the area where Mathews said he last saw his daughter, looked inside the family’s house and around the Richland Meadows Neighborhood for any sign of the child.
Urqhart set that his eyes on storm drains and holes potentially large enough for the 22 pound, 3 foot tall toddler to fit into.
Image credit: NBC DFW
“If she was left out there and just wandered around because like I said I climbed down those when I was a kid,” he said.
It wasn’t a kid, but rather an adult who climbed in today.
“It’s not that deep in here,” said Jamal Williams as he slid into a storm drain with the help of Urqhart. “It’s about a four foot tunnel.”
Williams did not hesitate to help.
“Just came by, it was my lunch break and I said: Let me just drive around real quick and see if I see anything,” said Williams.
“It just kind of hit pretty hard so I just wanted to drive around,” he said.
Police say there’s no evidence the toddler was abducted and they have expanded the search beyond the neighborhood.
Detectives have also been checking registered sex offenders in the area.
There is a possible motive for the father’s insistence in the girl drinking milk – The Mathews adopted Sherin two years ago from an orphanage in India and the girl was reportedly malnourished, according to police.
Her adoptive parents were trying to put weight on her and would feed her at what some may consider odd times of the day.
Sherin was last seen wearing a pink top, black pajama bottoms and pink flip-flops.
If you have any information about this case or have seen the child, you are urged to call 911.
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