Sherin Mathews Was 'Disfigured', So Parents Didn't Keep Her Photo, Lawyer Says

Speaking at a press conference following a custodial court hearing in Dallas on Tuesday, attorney of deceased Texas toddler Sherin Mathews' parents said the couple had no pictures of their adopted daughter in their home because she was "disfigured."

Attorney Rafael De La Garza’s statement was prompted by a testimony in court that said that even though there were many pictures of the couple’s biological daughter in their home in Richardson, Texas, they had no pictures of Sherin. The court was hearing a case about the custody of the Mathews’ 3-year-old biological daughter.

Kelly Mitchell, an investigator with Child Protective Services said in the court that when she visited the Mathews’ home, she saw multiple photos of Sherin’s sister — the biological daughter of Wesley and Sini Mathews – but not one of Sherin, Dallas Morning News reported.

De La Garza then attempted to address the issue and said the couple loved their daughters equally even though they did not display any photos of Sherin in the home.

He also said: "This child was very disfigured… You’re not going to post an unflattering picture of the child for everybody to see."

Mitchell also told the court she felt the Mathews had two different relationships with Sherin and their biological daughter.

The couple was barred Tuesday from having contact with their biological child — who is currently placed with a family member in Houston — after the prosecution argued that Mathews had failed to protect Sherin.

However, it was reported that the couple still had parental rights, but they would not receive help from the state to try and regain custody of their daughter.

Mitchell said that when she visited the Mathews’ household Oct. 9 to take the biological daughter from their custody, Sini remained "eerily calm" and was "unemotional," NBC 5 said.

Over the course of the 2-day hearing, experts testified about Sherin’s physical well-being and the actions of her adoptive parents to District Judge Cheryl Lee Shannon. The hearing revealed many unsettling pieces of information about the Mathews’ relationship with Sherin.

Dr. Suzanne Dakil, a University of Texas Southwestern child abuse pediatrician, who had treated Sherin from February to July for being under weight, said Sherin had gained weight during the time she was being treated, but showed no weight gain from July to August, after she stopped coming to the clinic.

Sherin disappeared Oct. 7. Her body was found Oct. 22, inside a drainage culvert.

Wesley had told the police that he "physically assisted" his daughter with drinking milk, because of which she choked and died. He told them that he then moved the girl's body. He is being held on a $1 million bond after being charged with felony of causing injury to a child in connection with his adopted daughter’s death.

Sini, meanwhile, is also in jail, held on a $100,000 bond for child endangerment and for allegedly leaving Sherin home alone while the couple and their biological daughter went to dinner the night before Sherin was reported missing.