Watch CBS News

Vigil This Weekend For Missing Richardson 3-Year-Old

RICHARDSON (CBSDFW.COM) - A vigil will be held this weekend for a toddler who vanished in Richardson.  It's been nearly a week since three-year-old Sherin Mathews disappeared.

Sherin's father, Wesley Mathews, told police he took his adopted daughter outside their Richardson home around 3 a.m. on Saturday. Police say Mathews explained that he was punishing the toddler for not drinking her milk and ordered her to stand by a tree about 100 feet outside their backyard. He said he left the little girl there and when he returned 15 minutes later discovered she was gone.

The vigil for Sherin will be held on Friday near the tree where she was reportedly last seen.

Meanwhile, as police continue their search for the girl they are now zeroing in on the family SUV.

Sherin Mathews 1
Sherin Mathews (credit: Richardson Police Department)

Investigators with the Richardson Police Department say they know a maroon-colored Acura MDX left the Mathews house less than an hour after Sherin disappeared -- sometime between 4 and 5 a.m. on Saturday.

An Acura SUV was towed from the Mathew's home on Saturday, along with two other vehicles.

Richardson police would not say if the girl's parents previously told them they did or did not leave the home after their daughter disappeared Saturday.

The FBI is assisting Richardson police with the investigation and has talked with neighbors in the area. One neighbor, Mohammad Bashar, told CBS 11 News he does have camera at his home but couldn't share the video at the request of the FBI. He described the footage as showing a dark-colored SUV whizzing past his house.

Police are calling on anyone in the area who has home surveillance video to review their cameras, see if an SUV is on the tape, and turn the footage over to Richardson investigators. Police say the video could be crucial in confirming or disproving claims by Sherins father.

Wesley Mathews
Wesley Mathews (credit: Richardson Police Department)

Wesley Mathews was arrested and charged with child endangerment over the weekend, and has since bonded out. He is wearing an ankle monitor and has turned over this passport. His wife has been questioned but hasn't been charged.

The vigil for Sherin Mathews will be held on Friday, October 13, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m., in the 900 block of Sunningdale in Richardson.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.