In Short
- Audrii cunningham, who went missing on her way to school, was found deceased in the trinity river.
- Law enforcement is preparing arrest warrants for don steven mcdougal, a suspect in the case.
- Mcdougal has a history of criminal offenses, including violent crimes.
TFD – Dive into the latest update on the tragic case of Audrii Cunningham, the 11-year-old girl whose body was found in the Trinity River.
Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons reports that the body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham, who vanished while traveling to school in Texas, was discovered in the Trinity River on Tuesday.
“Audrii’s body was found beneath US Highway 59 at the Trinity River,” Lyons said to reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday. He later said her body had been taken to the medical examiner’s office in Harris County and officials were awaiting information on her cause of death.
Don Steven McDougal, 42, is the subject of arrest warrant preparations, according to Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton, who also stated that they think a capital murder charge will be appropriate.
Sitton stated, “They are in the process of preparing the appropriate arrest warrants based on all of the evidence that law enforcement has collected.” As of right now, we think that Audrii Cunningham’s execution warrant should be issued for capital murder. He remains incarcerated on a separate felonies accusation.
Reporters questioned Sitton about Audrii’s death, and he responded, “I cannot speak to that.”
According to the sheriff, Audrii’s father’s acquaintance McDougal provided detectives with a list of locations he had been but withheld the location of her body. According to Lyons, the officials also utilized video and data from cell phones to locate her remains.
According to the sheriff’s office, McDougal was already in custody when he was taken into custody on Friday night on unrelated counts of aggravated assault.
The suspect has a long criminal history.
According to court records in multiple Texas counties, McDougal has a significant criminal history, including convictions for violent offenses and one for luring a kid.
He was found guilty in 2007 of luring a minor in Texas’ Brazoria County. According to court documents, he entered a plea of not guilty and received a two-year prison sentence with 527 days of credit. Details regarding the particular allegations in that case are not available in Brazoria County’s online records.
Additionally, he was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2010 and 2019.
In the first case, the victim received a four-year prison sentence. On Tuesday, the victim told CNN that McDougal, his former coworker, had attacked him after he was kicked out of his home.
Elic Bryan remarked, “He showed up with some other friends that I had.” “He returned with a knife after we threw him out of the house.”
Bryan claimed that McDougal started stabbing the door before leaving again.
Bryan remarked, “I had my shotgun and I hit him in the face when he came at me with the knife.” “I was unaware that he was that type of person.”
CNN has contacted McDougal’s family for comments and is investigating whether he has legal counsel.
Sheriff: McDougal participated in Audrii’s hunt
The missing girl’s search was assisted by McDougal, the sheriff told CNN earlier on Tuesday.
“According to some witnesses, he was throughout the village and knocking on doors. inquiring if they have seen her,” the sheriff said to CNN.
“To me, it simply tells me is that he’s trying to give the appearances that he has no play or he’s not at fault in her disappearance and that (he’s) part of the concerned parties who were trying to locate her.”
McDougal reportedly declared his innocence on social media last week.
A comment of “I’m not guilty,” from a Facebook account appearing to belong to McDougal was added under a post on the Facebook page “True Crime Society” the day after Audrii Cunningham was reported missing.
I answered questions when I was there. McDougal said, “I am not running or hiding. I have done everything I can to help find her.” He then added, “I have commented again. I didn’t do anything improper.
“I am the one that went and knocked on the houses by the bus stop to get video footage,” says a different reply.
On Friday morning, the majority of the posts were made early.
CNN contacted law authorities to get comment on the posts, but they did not react right away.
According to the sheriff, Audrii was occasionally dropped off at the bus stop by McDougal, who resides in a trailer on the family’s land.
The family lives close to Lake Livingston, which Texas Parks & Wildlife describes as “one of the largest reservoirs in the state, with 83,000 surface acres.”
McDougal and Audrii left the residence for the bus stop Thursday morning at around seven, according to the authorities. The last time Audrii’s relatives saw her was at that event. She never made it onto the school bus or to school that day.
About five kilometers from the location of her body’s discovery on Tuesday, her backpack was located on Friday next to a lakeside dam.
The location of the bag showed no indications of a scuffle, according to the sheriff.
This report was assisted by CNN’s Steve Almasy, Raja Razek, Andy Rose, Jillian Sykes, and Carroll Alvarado.
Conclusion
The discovery of Audrii’s body brings a tragic end to the search for the missing girl, raising questions about the circumstances of her death and the involvement of the suspect, McDougal. As the investigation continues, authorities strive to bring justice to Audrii and her family, highlighting the importance of community vigilance in protecting vulnerable individuals.
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