The toddler’s father Wesley Mathews was transferred to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center on Wednesday.
RICHARDSON, Texas: It has been two days since the Richardson Police Department identified the body of three-year-old girl Sherin Mathews but the Indian American community and people in this city Dallas suburban city have still not recovered from the shock.
The Facebook page of the Richardson Police Department, which gives updates about the investigation, is flooding with comments and questions, such as why Wesley Mathews didn’t wake his nurse wife up when he suspected the child was chocking milk and she struggled to breathe.
“Of course he provided an ‘alternative statement’ to detectives,†a Facebook user named Cynthia Freeman Pentino wrote. “Now that her body has been found, he knew the autopsy would reveal the truth. Both he & his wife have told lies from the beginning. Don’t think she’s not complicit in all of this.”
The Police Department replied to many comments and said the criminal charges are determined based on what information and evidence are available at the time.
“Mr. Mathews’ statements today to Richardson detectives currently support the offense of Injury to a Child,†the department wrote on Tuesday. “This charge carries the possibility of a life sentence in prison. Keep in mind, this is an active investigation, and there is the possibility of additional arrests or modified charges as more evidence becomes available.”
Mathews was transferred to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center on Wednesday, where he is under the custody of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. He is currently charged with injury to a Child, a first-degree felony. He is placed under suicide watch and his bond is set at $1 million. The investigation is still on.
Sherin Mathews, who was adopted from an orphanage in Bihar, was reported missing on October 7 and she was found dead in a culvert on Sunday. The autopsy results are still pending.
Meanwhile, the lawyers representing Wesley’s wife Sini Mathews issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the mother denies any involvement in the death of Sherin Mathews.
“Now that Mr. Mathews has turned himself into the police and told them what happened to Sherin, we see no need for Mrs. Mathews to endure further police interrogation. She had nothing to do with Sherin’s death or the removal of her body from the home,†NBC 5 quoted the statement from lawyers Mitchell Nolte and Gregg Gibbs.
“Mrs. Mathews is trying to grieve for her lost daughter while still caring for her remaining daughter. She is struggling to pick up the pieces of a shattered life. This will require her full focus and attention and we, therefore, have no plans to conduct any interviews or release any further information at this time,†the statement added.