The parents of Wesley Mathew have probably left the Eben Ezer cottage to avoid unwarranted attention following reports about three-year-old Sherin Mathews' missing case in Dallas.Kochi: It has been ten days since three-year-old Sherin Mathews went missing in Dallas after her father reportedly sent her out at 3 am as a bizarre 'punishment' for not drinking milk.
Now, Eben Ezer cottage, the residence of the foster grandparents of Sherin Mathews in Vyttila is also locked up.
The neighbors last saw Sam Mathew and his wife at their home on Friday evening. They assume that the couple left the house on Friday night or Saturday morning.
According to neighbors, the Mathews family led a socially aloof life. They never mingled with even their immediate neighbors.
“This is our paternal home and we've been living here for generations now. Sam Mathews built a house opposite to ours almost eighteen years ago. We hadn't been invited for any of the functions they hosted. Even when Sam's father died, neighbors came to know that after their relatives started coming in,” said a neighbor.
Wesley Mathews is the third and youngest son of Sam Mathews.
Mathews' elder son and daughter are settled in Australia. The couple visit their children every year and hence they are rarely seen at Eben Ezer cottage, their residence in Vyttila.
Even the family who stays on rent in the first floor of Eben Ezer cottage didn't know that Wesley Mathews was the son of their house owners until media persons began to visit the place following the news break.
“They rarely spoke with us. Wesley visited this house almost two years ago. We weren't living here back then. We haven't seen him and barely remembered his name. Mathews and his wife were mostly on family tours,” a neighbor told Onmanorama.
We saw Sherin but...
According to the neighbors, Sherin Mathews had come to her grandparents' house in Vyttila only once. That was soon after her adoption, almost two years ago.
“We knew the couple already had a biological child. But when Wesley's family visited this house last time, there was another baby girl with them. She was mostly kept indoors, probably to avoid interaction with the neighbors,” another neighbor said.
Even immediate neighbors weren't informed when Mathews' three children got married.
Sherin was adopted by Wesley Mathews and his wife Sini Mathews from an orphanage in Bihar. Sam Mathews' daughter also has a two-storey house near her parents' place. That is also locked up.
The people of the locality, who came to know about the missing child's case only through media reports, still share their shock and disbelief about the incident.
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