Plans afoot to turn culvert into permanent memorial for Sherin

Heartbroken at the death of 3- year-old Indian girl Sherin Mathews, the Richardson community is planning to convert the culvert where her body was found into a permanent memorial.
Sherin, who was reported missing on October 7 by her foster father, was found dead in the culvert under a road about 1 km from her home in suburban Dallas on October 22.
She was adopted by the Indian-American couple, Wesley Mathews and Sini Mathews, from an orphanage in India last year.
While everyone is waiting eagerly for her autopsy report to know the cause of her death, the community wants to distribute hundreds of stuffed toys left by people on her two memorial sites, a tree and the culvert.

"We have categorised all toys/ stuffed animals into four groups from two memorials--tree and the culvert. Once all communication is complete and we have the green light, the items will be equally dispersed amongst Sherin's sister, foster homes, Richardson Police Department and Sherin's final resting place, which is still not known," according to the community activist Omair Siddiqi.
Many people are ready to help to disassemble the memorials, clean and organise items, out of love and affection for Sherin.

"A permanent memorial marker is planned for the culvert," Siddiqi said.
Siddiqi has taken care of these memorial sites, tree and culvert, where people come in large numbers and pray for Sherin with flowers and stuffed animals.

He also helped in securing the memorials to save them from rain using tarps at the tree and culvert.
Sherin's body was released from the medical examiner's office over the weekend and taken to a funeral home, but there are no details on funeral arrangements.
Her father 37-year-old Wesley was re-arrested after he changed his story about Sherin's disappearance from their home and told the police that Sherin choked on milk and died in the family's garage.
He had earlier claimed that she went missing after he sent her outside their home at around 3 am as punishment for not drinking her milk.

Sherin's foster mother, Sini, has denied any role in the girl's death.