Who is Sherin Mathews? 3-Year-Old Texan Girl Missing After Leaving Home As Punishment

A three-year-old girl from Texas, Sherin Mathews, went missing early morning on Saturday after she was punished by her father, Wesley Mathews, 37, for not drinking milk. She was made to stand by a tree in the backyard of their home at 3 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT), reports suggested, citing police.

An amber alert was issued Saturday afternoon, however, it was discontinued as Richardson Police said investigators did not have suspect or vehicle description, CBS DFW reported. The police were still searching for Sherin on Monday morning and she was believed to be in grave danger, according to Fox Carolina.

Wesley was arrested Saturday, on the charges of child endangerment over the ill-treatment of his daughter, after he reported the incident to the authorities. He was later released on bond, Reuters reported, citing police in Richardson county, north of Dallas. “Mathews said he directed his daughter to stand near a large tree at approximately 3 a.m. (on Saturday) because she wouldn't drink her milk,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Wesley told the police that when he checked on Sherin about 15 minutes later, she had disappeared, according to the affidavit. The father also reportedly told investigators that he "knew coyotes had been seen in the alley where he left his daughter."

However, what is puzzling the investigators, as police said, is that parents did not report Sherin's missing until 8 a.m. (9 a.m. EDT) on Saturday. "Well, that's the same question we had for the parents is that a lot of time elapsed before we were actually contacted, and why was there such a lapse in time?" Richardson Police Sgt. Kevin Perlich said, according to Fox Carolina.

The mother was also questioned by the investigators separately, however, as of now, she is not facing any charges.

On Saturday, Richardson Police Department posted on its official Facebook page about Sherin saying that she was "last seen by her father outside the family’s backyard in the 900 blk. of Sunningdale. She is approximately 36" tall and weighs about 22 pounds. She suffers from developmental issues and has limited verbal communication skills. She was last seen wearing a pink top, black pajama bottoms and pink flip flops." The police also urged the public to contact at 972-744-4800 if they get to know about her whereabouts.

One of the Mathews' neighbors who wished not to be named, said Wesley and his wife, were struggling to conceive. They finally gave birth to a baby girl, who is a year older than Sherin, a report said.

Later, about a year-and-a-half ago, the couple announced they adopted a little girl from India. “They felt since God gave them that baby as a miracle baby, they could help another little one without a family out,” said the neighbor.

Meanwhile, Mathews’ church friends are also helping the couple in finding their daughter by distributing fliers in the neighborhood.