Dad who claimed daughter vanished following punishment for not finishing her milk changes story

The father of a 3-year-old Texas girl who went missing Oct. 7 told police he was trying to get his daughter to drink milk when she died, according to new details revealed in an arrest warrant.


These new details were part of an arrest warrant issued by the Richardson Police Department, who interviewed Wesley Mathews Monday regarding the disappearance of his adopted daughter Sherin.

WLBTV reports that the warrant, which was posted online by the Richardson Police Department, says that Mathews told police he was trying to get Sherin to drink milk around 3 a.m. Oct. 7 in their garage.

Mathews tried to force Sherin, who suffered from developmental issues, to drink the milk when she wouldn't comply, the warrant stated.

"She was coughing and her breathing slowed," the warrant read. "Eventually, Wesley Mathews no longer felt a pulse on the child and believed she had died."

Mathews told police he removed Sherin's body from the home afterward, according to the warrant.

Mathews called police roughly five hours later to report her missing. Mathews told police he had told Sherin to stand outside alone as punishment for not drinking her milk and that a coyote may have gotten her, Richardson Police spokesman Sgt. Kevin Perlich told Chron.com at the time.

Before calling, Mathews said that he did laundry while he waited for his daughter to return.