The Texas Department of Public Safety discontinued the Amber Alert for Richardson 3-year-old Sherin Mathews late Monday afternoon. Richardson police said they are continuing the search, but the Texas Department of Public Safety cut off the alert because there was no suspect or vehicle description.
Wesley Mathews, Sherin's father, posted $250,000 bond and was released from Richardson City Jail on Monday morning. Richardson police had arrested Mathews on Saturday and charged him with abandoning or endangering a child. Additionally, Texas Child Protective services removed Sherin's 4-year-old sister from Mathews' home and placed her in foster care, according to the agency.
After his arrest, Mathews told Richardson police that he sent Sherin outside at around 3 a.m. Saturday, forcing her to stand next to a tree across an alley from the home's backyard after the toddler refused to drink her milk. Mathews also told police that he did so although several coyotes had been seen in the alley recently. When Mathews went to check on Sherin at 3:15 a.m., he told police, his daughter was gone. Police weren't called until five hours later, at around 8 a.m.
Richardson police Sgt. Kevin Perlich told KXAS-TV (NBC 5) that the Mathews family adopted Sherin from an orphanage in India two years ago. When she came to the United States, Sherin was malnourished, Mathews told investigators, so it wasn't unusual for her to need something to eat or drink in the middle of the night. That might explain why she was punished at 3 a.m., Perlich said.
Sherin Mathews was last seen wearing a pink shirt, black pajama bottoms and pink flip flops. She is about 3 feet tall and weighs about 22 pounds. She has developmental difficulties and sometimes has trouble communicating, according to Richardson police.