On February 15, 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham, left her father’s home to catch the school bus. But she never made it to school. Instead, her body was found in the Trinity River five days later. A statewide Amber Alert was issued the day she went missing.
When it came to the potential suspects in Audrii’s disappearance and murder, authorities didn’t have to search far. Don Steven McDougal, a friend of Audrii’s father, promised to take the girl to her bus stop that morning. He was the last person to see her, and now, he is the prime suspect in her death, charged with capital murder.
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Authorities slowed the flow of water to find Audrii's body.
Authorities were able to locate Audrii’s body through video analysis, cellphone records, and information from McDougal, Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said, according to CNN. In order to find the body, water management officials slowed the flow of water from Lake Livingston reservoir. The river receded, revealing Audrii’s remains.
“I express my deepest sympathies and condolences to everyone who knew, who cared for and loved Audrii,” the sheriff said. “We will continue to process the evidence that has been gathered to ensure justice for Audrii.”
McDougal had been arrested for trying to entice a child in 2008.
Lyons said McDougal, who lived in a camper on the family’s property, had dropped Audrii off at her bus stop in the past, ABC News reported.
Days before Audrii’s body was found, McDougal had been arrested on an unrelated aggravated assault charge. He has a lengthy criminal history, including a 2008 charge for enticing a minor. Enticing a minor, as defined by the state of Texas is “the intent to interfere with the lawful custody of a child younger than 18 years” when a person “entices, persuades, or takes the child from the custody of the parent or guardian.”
McDougal pleaded no contest to the 2008 charge and was sentenced to two years in prison but was given credit for serving 527 days, according to CNN.
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McDougal claimed his innocence on Facebook.
In the days after Audrii’s disappearance, McDougal joined community search efforts trying to locate the preteen. He was seen knocking on neighborhood doors asking if people had seen her.
Lyons doesn’t believe his actions were sincere. “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,” Lyons said Tuesday, according to CNN.
McDougal took things a step further by proclaiming his innocence on social media, the news outlet reported. “I’m not guilty. I was there and was questioned. I am not running or hiding,” he wrote on what appeared to be a Facebook account that belongs to him. He commented again, writing, “I have done everything I can to help find her. I have done nothing wrong.”
Officials, staff and students at Audrii's school have expressed their deepest sympathies.
The condition in which Audrii’s body had been found has not been disclosed. A medical examiner is still determining the cause of her death. In the meantime, the community has shared their condolences for the family as well as memories of Audrii. Her classmates and teachers released a statement on Facebook about the tragic loss.
In the days when the community was still searching, Audrii’s mother Cassie Matthews said that for the first time, she can relate to parents who’ve had missing children. “There’s not words for it. There is not one feeling you feel. It’s a roller coaster," she told KPRC on Friday. "You are broken, you are mad, you are empty. And right now, I am empty.”
She continued, saying she would never be the same if her daughter didn’t return home. “She has so many opportunities ahead of her, and she deserves every right to be able to reach those opportunities," the mother said.
