Found Deceased TX - Sherin Mathews, 3, Richardson, 7 Oct 2017 #4

[PoirotryInMotion]

Does anyone know the length of the culvert and what distance it covers? If it is very long in length someone would of had to of crawled in the centre of it to place Sherin in the centre, otherwise how would they be able to get into it that far? And was the culvert flooded to be able to push Sherin through it?

It runs from one side of Spring Valley Rd to the other; looks to be roughly 100' according to the map (and key):

 

[Pamela_Brewer]

Im confused. He showed up to court? Is he delusional?

Really! Two lawyers eh?
MOO

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[Karinna]

As I follow this case if this precious child , my heart is breaking ... for this little one, but also for the many others ... the forces of evil are evident in numbers beyond belief.
Never having followed a case like this , and never having joined a group of this nature , I am so grateful for all the knowledge that is so kindly and freely shared . I only touched the very tip of the iceberg when I searched for my grandson so many years ago . It was clearly a directed path, so many insignificant observations that became road signs along the way . I have never ever stopped being grateful that eventually my search was ended and this child was safe , and then came home to us as well .
When I was praying Saturday evening , i was impressed that she would be found Sunday . And after reading that information , I watched The Shack , and felt the healing power that only comes from our Father in heaven.
That child was special from the very beginning .... in Kerala . Her journey here was so short , by our standards . There is more to Sherins legacy than we know at this time. What a brave child ,

:welcome5: Thanks for sharing your story and great that your grandson was found and back home with his family.

 

[Gumbeaux]

Does anyone know the length of the culvert and what distance it covers? If it is very long in length someone would of had to of crawled in the centre of it to place Sherin in the centre, otherwise how would they be able to get into it that far? And was the culvert flooded to be able to push Sherin through it?

To me, this culvert running from one side of a road to the other looks like it would require very heavy rainfall to flood it. There are broad areas of grass in the area to absorb rain water. Were the area surrounded in sidewalks and cement, rain water would be more likely to fill this small culvert. I have a similar one at the end of my driveway.

Poor baby child, rest gently. :rose:

 

[DakotaMayi]

[video=twitter;922476799317217280]https://twitter.com/DianaNBC5/status/922476799317217280[/video]

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Hmm, I'd gotten the impression she was inside the pipe, still, when the search teams with dogs found her:


Other sources I've read have also stated that LE had to 'pull her out'...I'm just not convinced the rain washed her out. JMO, IMHO.

ETA: also, due to the fact that LE had been searching that field "since early morning"...just thinking the body was still hidden. But I could be wrong.

I think so too. I don't think her body was moved by the suspect. That is just too risky. For some reason she couldn't be seen when the culvert was searched. With Sherin having to be pulled out tends to make me think she was a good distance into the culvert when found. I am sure LE and the ME will find evidence showing this was the first, and only place her body was put in order to hide it. If she was put there shortly after being killed the lividity pooling on her body will tell them if she was in the same position when placed there. For instance if he put her face down then the blood pooling would be to the front of her body. The same would happen if it placed her on her side or back. LE will know how she was originally placed in the culvert and whether it matches up to the blood pooling discloration that will be found on her little body.

We have drain culverts under each of our driveways since it is a wide circular driveway with two ways to enter or exit. In the past if we got a whiff of decomposition my husband would check it out. Sometimes he didnt see anything when he first checked but if we kept smelling it he went back and checked more closely the next time and found it was an injured dog or cat who had crawled inside of the culvert and died there or a wild animal like a raccoon.

Even when he used his bright flashlight he wasn't at first able to see what was causing the smell because the culvert is so dark inside of it. Since we live in a very rural wooded area he has had to pull out several deceased animals over the years even having to squeeze himself part way into the culvert (which was very hard to do) to reach them because most seem to go to the center. Our driveway culverts are far from where our home sits on our property but he or I would detect the scent when going to our mailbox that sits by one of the driveways. We don't just remove the dead animal because of the smell. We do it so the animals can be buried even though we had no idea who the cats, or dogs belonged to. I have felt very sorry for my hubby at times due to many of the animals being in a poor state of decomp but he does what he has to do and what is the right thing to do. I cant begin to imagine how sad it was for those in LE who had to remove precious Sherin from that dark culvert.

I remember one time he looked two or three times because he knew something had to be deceased but he couldn't see anything until he finally squeezed himself into the culvert and it turned out to be solid black dog.

So I think even if this culvert was searched she was overlooked and it was hard to see her little body laying there. I wonder if she was dressed the same as the description given at the time or did the perpetrator remove her clothes knowing those would be brightly seen colors and would be easier to see?

JMO

 

[Karinna]

It's a 4 lane road(with a turning lane I think) with a median, and sidewalks. So it's a decent length.


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Thanks for clarification.

 

[NewMama]

Oh wow - I just came across a WaPo article with the updates. Little Sherin had so much media coverage that I saw it on media vs WS. That’s rare for me.
In the process of playing catch up (only from last night but much has been added here.)
Can anyone answer what we should see next? Will it be an arrest? I don’t know how soon COD would be established. Could a warrant be issued based on (this is hard to write), Sherin’s observable condition? If we don’t see an arrest within the next few days what could that mean?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

In children who have been adopted does the agency involved take a DNA sample of the child?

If not, I suppose her mother will give them Sherin's hairbrush or toothbrush so they can legally ID Sherin.

 

[Autumn_84]

I know, I thought the same thing. It was the neighbor who lives 150 yards away from the culvert, who walks his dogs in that field every day, who made me think the moving a body scenario might be viable.
Does anyone know how long it takes for a body to smell strong enough for humans to smell? And would the body's size matter? (Sorry for being so graphic. NO disrespect meant to Sherin.)

I used to do crime scene cleanup and from my personal experience... the heat and being outside (bugs) would have sped up the decomp so she would have started smelling fairly quickly. However, due to her small size, the smell probably wasn't sickeningly strong until someone was right by her.
I cleaned up a case where the husband kept his decomposing wife in the bedroom for 8 months and the neighbors never smelled a thing.. on the other hand, I've had a 3 day decomp that you could smell down the street 🤢
Hope this helps a little. Poor sweet Sherin ❤️

 

[Gumbeaux]

Wow, there are houses right there! Nobody heard anything? Why here? Maybe "whoever" did this actually wanted her found quickly, The plan may have backfired. Someone wanted her found I think. MOO

Hmmmm

For a refresher on what the scene looks like... the culvert lies beneath a mostly residential 4-lane boulevard. I’m guessing it takes incredible rainfall for water to course through it. Lots of natural terrain to absorb rainfall.

 

[HIM_Darling]

Okay, So WM requested the extended time and not SM? Doesn't it seems strange, especially given that he is currently allowed no contact? Seems to me that they would have been prepared by now, SM has had her own lawyer for a while. Could this be because WM doesn't want SM to get the 4 y/o back?

 

[LonelyChild]

My theory and it's just a theory. The girl could have been getting sicker recently because of her eating habits which could have frustrated mom and dad and drove them to frustration with the child. I think whatever happened could very well had been accidental turned fatal. I think mom and dad did punish the child at one point that day for not drinking milk. I don't however think the punishment involved the tree like dad claims. I think the tree he was referring to was one her body was left by. I told you guys awhile back and I stand by it that when dad made bail he could then move the body in attempt to throw police off further. I do not think the baby was left there originally after the incident I think it was sometime after that she was moved there. A resident behind where the body was discovered apparently claimed he heard two males over by where the body was discovered arguing and dropping f bombs. One of these men could had been dad or someone he had sent. I hope someone has security cameras.

 

[Pamela_Brewer]

Okay, So WM requested the extended time and not SM? Doesn't it seems strange, especially given that he is currently allowed no contact? Seems to me that they would have been prepared by now, SM has had her own lawyer for a while. Could this be because WM doesn't want SM to get the 4 y/o back?

That is what I immediately thought. MOO

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[i8mypaint]

https://www.facebook.com/MariaGuerreroNews/posts/1042422372567213


ME will release identity of the child the earliest this afternoon

Is that saying the parents didn’t identify her???

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[Margo/Mom]

When dogs searched the alley did they also search the Mathews home? Do we know if they searched only for Sherin's scent or if they also searched for WMs? If they looked for his as well, (he had already been charged at this point and the Amber Alert was called off), it would be fair to assume that neither of them went for that walk... but if they didn't search for WM's scent then any video footage would be really important in looking for a man walking carrying a child... I don't think he walked, I think this was frantic and he jumped in his car... but it is good to rule in or out regardless. JMO and MOquestions

Based on what I have heard about the dogs not picking up on a scent from the tree, I believe that IF Sherin was at the tree (and I still think it figures in somehow), she did not leave by foot. Were that the case, the dogs would have had a trail to follow. If she (or I guess I can say now, her dead body) was at that tree, she left in a vehicle. The most obvious choice, of course, being the Acura that we knew left during the critical time-frame.

 

[Margo/Mom]

Looking for info about charges for endangerment/abandonment which leads to death. The case of Amanda Hawkins, who left her two young babies in a car for 15 hours, leading to their death.
https://www.**************/4470253/...s-hot-car-deaths-kerrville-texas-kerr-county/
So WM could be facing one count of abandoning a child in imminent danger, and one count of injury to a child recklessly causing serious bodily injury. Both would be second degree felonies, with each carrying up to 20 years. If served consecutively, he could face up to 40 years. Does that seem right?

I think that was the case prior to this.

Now that they have a body, we are more likely to have information about how she died. I believe that she died at home, before (her body) going anywhere. That in my mind (could) up the charge from reckless endangerment to something inclusive of the word murder.

 

[PoirotryInMotion]

I think so too. I don't think her body was moved by the suspect. That is just too risky. For some reason she couldn't be seen when the culvert was searched. With Sherin having to be pulled out tends to make me think she was a good distance into the culvert when found. I am sure LE and the ME will find evidence showing this was the first, and only place her body was put in order to hide it. If she was put there shortly after being killed the lividity pooling on her body will tell them if she was in the same position when placed there. For instance if he put her face down then the blood pooling would be to the front of her body. The same would happen if it placed her own her side or back. LE will know how she was originally placed in the culvert and whether it matches up to the blood pooling discloration that will be found on her little body.

We have drain culverts under each of our driveways since it is a wide circular driveway with two ways to enter or exit. In the past if we got a whiff of decomposition my husband would check it out. Sometimes he didnt see anything when he first checked but if we kept smelling it he went back and checked more closely the next time and found it was an injured dog or cat who had crawled inside of the culvert and died there or a wild animal like a raccoon.

Even when he used his bright flashlight he wasn't at first able to see what was causing the smell because the culvert is so dark inside of it. Since we live in a very rural wooded area he has had to pull out several deceased animals over the years even having to squeeze himself part way into the culvert (which was very hard to do) to reach them because most seem to go to the center. Our driveway culverts are far from where our home sits on our property but he or I would detect the scent when going to our mailbox that sits by one of the driveways. We don't just remove the dead animal because of the smell. We do it so the animals can be buried even though we had no idea who the cats, or dogs belonged to. I have felt very sorry for my hubby at times due to many of the animals being in a poor state of decomp but he does what he has to do and what is the right thing to do. I cant begin to imagine how sad it was for those in LE would had to remove precious Sherin from that dark culvert.

I remember one time he looked two or three times because he knew something had to be deceased but he couldn't see anything until he finally squeezed himself into the culvert and it turned out to be solid black dog.

So I think even if this culvert was searched she was overlooked and it was hard to see her little body laying there. I wonder if she was dressed the same as the description given at the time or did the perpetrator remove her clothes knowing those would be brightly seen colors and would be easier to see?

JMO

You sound like you live in an area like I do. We have those driveway culvert pipes in our area, too--though our 3' swales are a lot narrower than the culvert area where Sherin was found. That area was roughly a 300' wide plain of grass. Saturday night's rain was the first significant rain since Sherin's disappearance, so the ground would not have been overly saturated to start with, either.

I agree with most of your observations, though, living in a semi-rural area, I have to also agree with posters upthread who've stated that they believe that the search dogs (and local residents' dogs) would've picked up her scent had she been there since Oct 7. This area I'm sure (though IMO and without specific LE statement to that effect) has been previously searched by both LE and local volunteers, being so close to WM's house and the tracks. It is bounded on the west side by a long strip of condos or town homes, and it is a natural place for residents to walk their dogs (eg. resident Prussack, quoted upthread, who lived in one of the townhomes and said he walked his dogs there daily).

We have a Shepherd that has the nose for anything, living or dead, on our property. She is not a trained cadaver dog, but within 2 minutes of being let out the door, she will chase out the squirrels, and promptly find and trot around with the carcass of any dead animal she locates on our property. If let into areas that she doesn't as frequently access, she will even find mummified animals, once again in lightning speed. It is quite disgusting getting these trophies from here, frankly. (I strongly considered taking her with me on my search that Saturday, but carting her in the car was not conducive to the other plans I had going on that day.)

So...all that to say, I'm still not sold on the idea that Sherin wandered over there 2 weeks ago and curled up in that dark culvert to die. And, IMO she would not have gotten 'stuck' after exploring in there; she was just too tiny. The culvert pipe is at least 2' in diameter, judging by the photo taken with the man standing on top of it in Heavy.com.

I'm not wanting the father (or either parent) to be a killer, here, and am still leaning towards the idea of an inadvertent (not premeditated) death that is being covered up. But WM's leaving out the fact that the Acura left the home that morning between 4-5am is a huge red flag for me. It was deceit by glaring omission, and there was a reason for it that has not yet been explained by him. I believe that the purpose of the Acura's trip will come to light, but the fact that WM is covering that up does not bode well for the coyote or child-wandering theories he's conveniently offered us.

Like the rest of you, I'm very glad little Sherin's been found, and now am simply awaiting word from the ME and evidence teams that will hopefully help piece together what happened.

 

[Margo/Mom]

I know, I thought the same thing. It was the neighbor who lives 150 yards away from the culvert, who walks his dogs in that field every day, who made me think the moving a body scenario might be viable.
Does anyone know how long it takes for a body to smell strong enough for humans to smell? And would the body's size matter? (Sorry for being so graphic. NO disrespect meant to Sherin.)

I don't know definitively, but a dead mouse in the house can raise quite a stink in a pretty short time after the cat has killed it.

 

[crhedBngr]

https://www.facebook.com/MariaGuerreroNews/posts/1042422372567213


ME will release identity of the child the earliest this afternoon

Is that saying the parents didn’t identify her???

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No, I believe they will release this information based on their findings, which will possibly include dental records and DNA.

If anyone has better info., please share.