Child's body found near missing 3-year-old Texas girl's home

(Richardson Texas Police Department via AP)

Police in a Dallas suburb say they've found the body of a small child not far from the home of a 3-year-old girl who's been missing since earlier this month.

Richardson police say the child's body was discovered in a culvert as authorities using dogs searched for Sherin Mathews on Sunday morning.

Her father, Wesley Mathews, has told authorities he ordered the child to stand next to a tree behind the fence at their home around 3 a.m. on Oct. 7 as punishment for not drinking her milk and she went missing.

Police say the body hasn't been positively identified but that they have no reason to believe it's a different child.