3-year-old Indian girl missing in US after 'punishment' by father, cops suspect foulplay

A three-year-old Indian girl has been missing in Texas for more than a week after her father allegedly punished her by making stand outside home at 3 am.

However, following a probe, the police have found that an SUV had left the home at 4 am and returned in an hour. The police have issued a notice for people to report on a 2013 maroon Acura MDX SUV, which had left the house between 4 am and 5 am on October 7.

Wesley Mathew, the father of the girl, had told the police following his arrest that he had punished his daughter, Sherin, for not drinking milk by telling her to stand outside by herself at night near an alley behind her home.

According to an arrest affidavit, “"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."

The father told police he checked on her about 15 minutes later and she was gone, the affidavit said.
About five hours after sending her outside, Mathews called police to report her missing, a police spokesman said.

Mathews told police that he had seen coyotes in the alley near where he told his daughter to stand, the affidavit said.

Sherin was born in India and had been adopted by Mathews` family. She suffered from malnourishment before arriving in the United States and is on a special diet, said Sergeant Kevin Perlich, a spokesman for the Richardson Police Department.

Wesley Mathews, 37, has been arrested for suspected child endangerment for the treatment of his daughter, Sherin. He was taken into custody on Saturday last after reporting the incident to authorities and has been released on bond, according to police in Richardson, north of Dallas.

Mathews did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

(With Reuters inputs)