Father who punished Texas girl over glass of milk arrested day after police find body
Louie Villalobos
The father of the Texas girl who has been missing for weeks after being punished for not drinking milk was re-arrested on Monday, one day after investigators found the body of a child near the family's home, according to Texas authorities.
Wesley Mathews was arrested by the Richardson Police Department and is accused of injury to a child in connection with Sherin Mathews' disappearance.
He was being held on a $1 million bond and has provided an "alternate statement of events" about Sherin's disappearance, according to a Facebook post by the Richardson Police Department.
The department did not say how the father's new statement is different and said the body found Sunday has yet to be identified.
An AMBER Alert was first issued for Mathews when she went missing on Oct. 7 in Richardson, Texas. It was eventually cancelled because of a lack of progress, but the investigation continued.
The young girl — who has developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills — was last seen by her father wearing a pink top and black pajama bottoms two weeks ago when he put her outside at 3 a.m. as punishment for not drinking her milk, he told police.
The 37-year-old told officers he asked Sherin to stand by a large tree behind a fence in the backyard, according to police records. The tree is across an alley near the home, which backs railroad tracks.
When he went outside 15 minutes later to check on the toddler, he told officers she was gone.
RELATED: Police find child's body near where Texas girl went missing
Mathews alerted authorities of his daughter's disappearance five hours later, according to police, who called the delay "concerning." He also told police that coyotes have been spotted in the alley where he left his young daughter.
Wesley Mathews was initially arrested and charged with abandoning or endangering a child.
He was released from jail a day later on a $250,000 bond.
Police say the girl’s mother, Sini Mathews, was asleep during the incident and is not facing charges.
The couple's 4-year-old daughter was removed from the home and placed in foster care, according to Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
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