x
Breaking News
More () »

Warrant: Father now claims Sherin Mathews choked on milk, 'believed she had died'

According to Richardson police, Wesley Mathews showed up at the Richardson Police station with his attorney and asked to speak with investigators.

An arrest warrant obtained by WFAA Tuesday details the conflicting story that led to the re-arrest of Sherin Mathews' father, Wesley Mathews.

The warrant states that Wesley told police his 3-year-old daughter choked on milk in the early morning hours of Oct. 7 and "believed she had died."

He alleges that he had been trying to get her to drink her milk in the garage around 3 a.m. He said he "physically assisted" Sherin in drinking her milk when she wouldn't listen to him, according to the warrant.

"She was coughing and her breathing slowed," the warrant reads. "Eventually, Wesley Mathews no longer felt a pulse on the child and believed she had died."

He then admitted to police that he removed the body from the home, the warrant reads.

In his initial interview with police in the days after Sherin's disappearance, Wesley had said he put Sherin outside as punishment for not drinking her milk. He was arrested then and charged with felony endangerment to a child and was placed on electronic ankle monitoring. He was also forced to surrender his passport as a condition of making bond on Oct. 9.

He was re-arrested Monday for felony injury to a child after providing investigators at the Richardson Police Department with the conflicting story.

"When they came in, they provided us with some information that was contrary to what we had previously been told regarding her [Sherin Mathews'] disappearance," said Kevin Perlich, Richardson PD spokesperson.

His bond has been set at $1 million and has been transferred to Dallas County Jail as of Wednesday morning. Wesley has been placed under protective custody and suicide watch, a common practice with high profile cases.

"It is possible that he could bond out again," Perlich said.

When asked Monday about the milk story Wesley originally told police, Perlich wouldn't provide specifics because it was an ongoing investigation. All he could say was that "it was not what he told us originally."

Perlich said police still did not have a positive identification on the child's body that was found Sunday at 11 a.m. in a culvert underground during a search operation in the area of Spring Valley and Bowser Road.

The FBI seized dozens of items from the family's home and their vehicles between Oct. 8 and 12, including a washer and dryer, electronics and DNA swabs.

• List: Items seized by FBI in search for Sherin Mathews

Timeline: Developments in the Sherin Mathews case

Before You Leave, Check This Out