Seven weeks after Sherin Mathews’ body was found in a culvert by a cadaver dog, the location of the 3-year-old Indian toddler’s final resting place has been revealed.
A private ceremony was held on October 31 for Sherin, the adopted daughter of Indian-American couple Wesley Mathews and Sini Mathews, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances a culvert close to their home in suburban Dallas.
At that time, the burial location was kept a secret, considering the intense press and social media attention in the case.
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Sources close to the family told WFAA television network that they wanted to wait until the headstone had arrived before releasing the location to the public.
The family said they are now comfortable sharing that her headstone is located in the southwest portion of the cemetery at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Dallas, Texas.
The headstone reads “Moment In Our Arms, Lifetime In Our Hearts.”
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“She’s in a better place than we all are,” a woman, who attended Sherin’s prayer vigil several weeks back, said while requesting anonymity.
“None of us even met her but the pictures and her smile has been haunting everyone,” she said.
The soil around the headstone is still fresh and that headstone reads her full name “Sherin Susan Mathews,” the WFAA report says.
Sherin’s body was found on October 22 after she disappeared from her family’s home on October 7. Her adoptive father Wesley told police that he put her outside their home at 3 a.m. to discipline her for not drinking her milk.
His story changed after her body was found in a culvert, telling police that he “physically assisted” with pouring the milk down Sherin’s throat and then moved her body after he realised she had choked and died.
Dr Suzanne Dakil of Referral and Evaluation of At Risk Children Clinic testified recently during a custody hearing that Sherin had broken bones and had injuries in various stages of healing.
Dr. Dakil told the court that after looking at X-rays, she determined that Sherin’s legs were fractured. Sini told Dr. Dakil that Sherin had brittle bones as a result of the poor diet she had in India. However, the doctor determined that the injuries had occurred after she arrived in the US.
Wesley (37), has been charged with felony injury to a child and her mother, Sini (35), was arrested later and charged with child endangerment.
Both Sini and Wesley attended Saturday’s hearing, but they remain in detention at the Dallas County Jail.
Wesley’s bond is set at $1 million and faces up to life imprisonment if convicted of the first-degree felony.
Sini’s bond is set at $100,000 and faces up to two years in a state jail if convicted of child abandonment or endangerment.
The Richardson Police Department and the FBI are still probing Sherin’s case and the Dallas Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released the autopsy report.
The Indian-American couple from Kerala has a 3-year-old biological daughter, who was taken away by Child Protective Services after Sherin went missing. She is now living with a family member in Houston.
A source close to the family told WFAA that the words on the tombstone were chosen by Wesley, Sherin’s adoptive father.