Toddler Found Dead After Father Punishes Her For ‘Not Drinking Milk’

Texas police believe they have found the body of a missing 3-year-old who was punished by her father for not drinking milk.

Richardson police announced Sunday that they found the body of a toddler and believe it is Sherin Mathews, who has been missing since Oct. 7, reports the Dallas Morning News. Although they are still waiting for the medical examiner’s office to examine the body, police said they believe it is Sherin’s.

Police haven’t said how Sherin died. The body was found under a road at around 11 a.m. with the help of search dogs. The body was discovered less than a mile from her home.

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Sherin’s parents were notified, Public information officer Kevin Perlich told the Morning News.

Wesley Mathews, Sherin’s adoptive father, has been charged with abandoning or endangering a child. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the 37-year-old told police he punished Sherin because she wouldn’t drink milk at 3 a.m. on Oct. 7, leaving her in an alley where he knew coyotes had been seen. Fifteen minutes later, he returned to the spot where he left her and could not find her, he told police.

However, police said Mathews didn’t call authorities until five hours later.

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According to The Arizona Republic, police said Sherin’s mother, Sini Mathews, was sleeping during the incident. Wesley and Sini Mathews also have a 4-year-old daughter, who has been placed in foster care, a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman told The Republic.

Mathews was charged Saturday and released from jail Sunday on a $250,000 bond. Sheri’s mother was not charged.