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Death of Sherin Mathews

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Sherin Susan Mathews
Born(2014-07-14)July 14, 2014
Bihar, India
DiedOctober 7, 2017(2017-10-07) (aged 3)
Richardson, Texas, U.S.
Cause of deathSuspected homicide
Body discoveredOctober 22, 2017
Resting placeTurrentine Jackson Allen, Tx
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipAmerican
Parent(s)Sini Mathews (adoptive mother)
Wesley Mathews (adoptive father)

Sherin Susan Mathews (born Saraswati Kumari)[1] (July 14, 2014 – October 7, 2017) was an Indian American toddler who was found dead in a culvert in Richardson, Texas.[2] She was reported missing by her adoptive father Wesley Mathews on October 7, 2017. Her body was found October 22, 2017, under a road in a culvert near her home.[3] Mathews admitted to the disposing of her body on the same day the body was found.[4]

Early life

Sherin Mathews was born in Gaya, Bihar, India. Soon after her birth, she was abandoned by her unknown biological parents, who left her in a bush at the city train station. She was found by a charity worker and taken to Nalanda Mother Teresa Anaath Seva Ashram, an adoption center in Nalanda run by Babita Kumari. Kumari gave the baby the first name "Saraswati", after the Hindu goddess Saraswati, as well as her own surname. Kumari recalled that Saraswati used to call her ''Mumma.''[5] She described Saraswati as a happy and healthy child.[6]

Wesley Mathews and his wife Sini Mathews, residents of Richardson, Texas, adopted Saraswati Kumari on July 18, 2016.[7] They renamed her "Sherin" along with their own surname "Mathews". Babita Kumari stated that at the time of the adoption, the couple spoke no Hindi, which was the only language Sherin spoke. However, believing the child would have a better life in the United States, Kumari agreed to the adoption.[8]

Sherin lived with her adopted parents in Richardson, Texas until she was reported missing in October 2017. Sherin's death has led to the Indian government suspending Holt International, the adoption agency that placed Sherin with the Mathews, revising its adoption process to prevent similar incidents in the future.[9]

Disappearance

The Richardson Police were notified about Sherin's disappearance on October 7, 2017, at around 8 a.m. Wesley Mathews told police that Sherin was very undernourished when adopted from India (a claim which Babita Kumari later denied) and that in order for her to gain weight, she should eat and drink whenever she was awake.[6] Wesley Mathews's initial report indicated that one of these feedings was attempted that morning at 3 a.m. However, Sherin did not want to drink her milk, and as punishment, he made her stand outside in a nearby alley. When Mathews went back outside to check on Sherin 15 minutes later, she was missing. Rather than reporting the disappearance immediately, Mathews said he did a load of laundry while figuring out what to do.[10]

Investigation

Questions were raised as to why Sherin's parents had waited five hours to report her disappearance. On October 7, Wesley Mathews was arrested for child endangerment, for which he was later released on bail. Investigators began to further doubt his version of events after discovering that the family SUV had departed the Mathews household at approximately 4 a.m. the morning Sherin went missing. The SUV returned to the home before 5 a.m. on October 7, about three hours before Sherin's disappearance was reported to law enforcement.[3]

Discovery of body

On October 22, 2017, the body of a small girl, later positively identified as Sherin Mathews, was found in a culvert near the Mathews' home. The same day, Wesley Mathews reported to the police station and changed his statement. According to the new testimony, when Sherin refused to drink the milk, he "physically assisted" her in drinking it; Sherin began to choke and subsequently died. He then disposed of Sherin's body in the culvert.[4]

According to Sherin's pediatrician, Dr. Suzanne Dakil, Sherin had injuries in various stages of healing and multiple broken bones. In response to this finding, which she identified as signs of abuse, Dr. Dakil alerted Child Protective Services.[11] Sherin had also been hospitalized multiple times for skin and joint infections. One of Sini Mathews's explanations for the broken bones was that Sherin's older sister pushed her off a couch; upon another hospitalization, Sini Mathews stated that Sherin fell off some playground equipment. Sini Mathews told Dr. Dakil that Sherin had brittle bones as a result of the poor diet she'd had in India. However, the doctor determined that the injuries had occurred after Sherin left India. Babita Kumari later stated that Sherin had never been malnourished or shown any other health problems while she lived at the orphanage.[8][6]

On January 3, 2018, Sherin's cause of death was reported as "homicidal violence" by the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office.[12]

Arrests

Wesley Mathews was initially arrested for child endangerment and was released on bail. After the child's body was discovered and Wesley changed his statement, he was re-arrested on a charge of felony injury to a child. Wesley remained in jail on a bond of $1 million. On August 1, 2018, his bail was dropped to $500 thousand. On November 16, 2017, Sini Mathews turned herself in to the police, and was jailed on a bond of $250,000. She was charged with child abandonment after police alleged she left Sherin home alone on the night of October 6. Wesley Mathews was sentenced to life in prison.[13][11] Charges were later dropped against Sini on March 1, 2019; this action was criticized by the Richardson Police Department.[14][15] Wesley Mathews motioned for a new trial following his sentencing, claiming the photographs of the child's dead body, or the photos showing her injuries before her death, should never have been shown. On September 5, 2019, he was denied a new trial.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "'Moment in our arms, lifetime in our hearts': Sherin Mathews' gravesite revealed". Deccan Chronicle. 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  2. ^ "Body found confirmed as Sherin Mathews; Father now admits he removed body 'believing she died' after choking on her milk". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  3. ^ a b "Texas police may have just found the body of missing 3-year-old girl". The Denver Post. 2017-10-22. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  4. ^ a b "Richardson child's dad thought she died after choking on milk, moved body: affidavit". star-telegram. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  5. ^ TEGNA. "A look at Sherin Mathews' life in India". WFAA. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  6. ^ a b c Eltagouri, Marwa; Selk, Avi; Wootson Jr., Cleve R. "He claimed his adopted daughter choked on milk and died. Her orphanage in India wants answers". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Sherin Mathews murder: Sushma Swaraj seeks probe into child's adoption process; Women and Child Development ministry says it is 'transparent'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  8. ^ a b Ebrahimji, Alisha. "From A to Z: The Sherin Mathews case". wfaa.com. ABC. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  9. ^ Ebrahimji, Alisha. "Where are they now? The Sherin Mathews case, one year later". wfaa.com. ABC. Retrieved 26 Aug 2022.
  10. ^ "Missing Texas girl's dad arrested, charged with felony". CBS News. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  11. ^ a b Joyce, Kathleen (2017-11-30). "Sherin Mathews' doctor reported signs of abuse before 3-year-old's death". Fox News. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  12. ^ Guerrero, Maria (2018-01-03). "Sherin Mathews Died of 'Homicidal Violence,' Medical Examiner Confirms". NBC DFW. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  13. ^ "Sini Mathews Arraigned on Child Endangerment Charge". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  14. ^ Emily, Jennifer (2019-03-01). "Charge dismissed against mother of Sherin Mathews, the Richardson girl found dead in culvert". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  15. ^ "US father gets life for adopted India child death". BBC News. June 27, 2019.
  16. ^ "Wesley Mathews, Serving Life for Death of Daughter, Denied New Trial".
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