BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Body of missing 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham found: Police

  • 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham never made it to school last Thursday
  • Divers discovered Cunningham's body in the river near her home
  • A person of interest has been named, arrested on unrelated charge

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

(NewsNation) — Divers discovered the body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in a river near her home Tuesday, Texas police said. Cunningham had been missing since Thursday.

The 11-year-old was on her way to school Thursday in Livingston — about 60 miles northeast of Houston — when she disappeared. Authorities say she never even made it on the bus.

Don Steven McDougal, 42, was identified as a person of interest in Cunningham’s disappearance earlier this week. Now, District Attorney Shelly Bush-Sitton announced Tuesday that Polk County is preparing capital murder charges against McDougal in connection to Cunningham’s death.

Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said McDougal, a friend of the Cunningham family and who lived in a camper behind their residence, was the last to see her.

McDougal was arrested Friday night on an unrelated aggravated assault charge. He told authorities he left the house with Cunningham on Thursday morning but wouldn’t provide any information beyond that.

Although McDougal has a criminal history, including a previous conviction from 2007 on intent for child enticement, Lt. Craig Cummings, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety in Southeast Texas, said he was not required to register as a sex offender.

Law enforcement had been camped out for days by the Trinity River and overpass, looking for Cunningham about 10 miles from where she lived. A backpack believed to be hers was found a few days ago near that area of the river.

The sheriff said a combination of cellphone data tracking, surveillance video and information from McDougal himself led them to that spot.

Lyons believes there is enough evidence to determine the cause and method of Cunningham’s death. However, her body will be transported to the Harris County medical examiner’s office for an autopsy to confirm any police theories.

The news of Cunningham’s death drew a crowd of people from the community dressed in purple and handing out ribbons to show their support for her grieving family.

One neighbor, Maria Castilleja, lined her fence with purple balloons in honor of Cunningham. Castilleja said she would see the 11-year-old walk about a mile to the bus every day, calling Cunningham a ray of sunshine.

“I’ve been so devastated since she’s been missing. I haven’t been able to work or concentrate other than seeing her little smile and waving and seeing her with the dog. It’s hard. It’s going to take some time,” Castilleja said.

Cunningham’s school district released a statement saying their hearts go out to the entire community during this heartbreaking loss. Cunningham was in fifth grade.

Crime

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

59°F Clear Feels like 59°
Wind
2 mph NW
Humidity
34%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
51°F Clear skies. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
4 mph N
Precip
0%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous