Cunningham was last seen in Polk County on Thursday, when she left her house to catch a school bus. Authorities stated that a man was in custody and will face charges related the homicide. “Based on all the evidence,” she stated, a lawsuit will be filed.
Sheriff Byron Lyons reported that they located the body along County Highway 59 thanks to information from the suspect, cellphone data, and images from social media that residents submitted in. According to the sheriff, a local water authority decreased the river’s water level to help the divers in their search.
He explained that the medical examiner had her remains and will ascertain the cause and manner of death. According to authorities, 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham’s body was discovered in Texas’ Trinity River on Tuesday. Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton announced during a press conference that Don Steven McDougal, 42, who is being held on an unrelated allegation, will be charged with capital murder in relation to her death.
Cunningham vanished from her Polk County residence on Thursday morning at approximately seven in the morning, as reported by authorities. But, deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office claim that she never boarded the bus or arrived at school that day. For the 4-foot-1 child with blue eyes and blonde hair, an Amber Alert was sent out. On Thursday, she wore black tennis shoes, black leggings, and a black hoodie with white lettering.
When McDougal was taken into custody on Friday on charges of aggravated assault in a separate incident, authorities referred to him as “one of the persons of interest” in the case. According to officials, McDougal, who resides in a trailer behind Audrii’s house, is regarded as a family friend and would periodically drive the girl to school or the bus stop.
Authorities said that a tiny child’s bag was discovered near the Cunningham family’s residence at the Lake Livingston Dam. Lake is fed by the Trinity River.