Texas police announced Tuesday that they made the tragic discovery of the body of Audrii Cunningham, an 11-year-old girl who disappeared last week.
Cunningham was last seen Thursday when she disappeared from a bus stop after being dropped off on the way to school by a neighbor who will now be charged with her murder.
The six-day search ended in tragedy when Cuningham’s body was found near the Trinity River, Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said.
“My heart hurts with this news,” Lyons said, adding that a medical examiner is still working to establish the cause of death.
Audrii Cunningham, 11, went missing after her father dropped her off at her bus stop on Thursday. Her body was found on Tuesday
A chilling mugshot of Don Steven McDougal, 42, the last person to see the young man alive, according to police.
Investigators said Tuesday that Audrii’s body was found near Trinity Lake in Polk County, Texas.
A family friend of Audrii’s father, Don Steven McDougal, was allegedly seen accompanying Audrii to school on the day of her disappearance.
He was previously named by police as a person of interest and was seen in a threatening mugshot on Friday after being charged with separate crimes.
McDougal was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and has a criminal record dating back to 2001, including convictions on two counts of enticement of a child, fox26 reported.
The ex-convict lives in a caravan behind Audrii’s house, and police described him as “the last person to see her alive”.
While in custody on unrelated assault charges, Polk County District Attorney Shelly Bush-Sitton said capital murder charges are being prepared for McDougal.
He is currently being held in the Polk County Jail on $500,000 bail. His mugshot shows a variety of tattoos on his body including a swastika and the words “I’m not afraid” on his chest.
Audrii sparked a statewide search after she went missing early Thursday morning in Livington, about an hour north of Houston, when she didn’t show up for school.
Investigators quickly identified a dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban as a “vehicle of interest” linked to the girl’s disappearance, which police said matched McDougal’s car.
McDougal’s dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban has been a vehicle of interest in the case and, according to authorities, is linked to the young woman’s disappearance.
Audrii sparked a statewide search after she went missing early Thursday morning in Livington, about an hour north of Houston, when she didn’t show up for school.
McDougal has a criminal record dating back to 2001 that includes convictions for two counts of luring a child.
The girl’s mother, Cassie Matthews, asked the public for help during the six-day search for her daughter and cried as she said the loss made her feel “empty.”
Then on Saturday, the third day of searching, a small backpack that likely belonged to Cunningham was found near the Lake Livingston Dam. People reported.
Although police did not reveal any further details about the recovered backpack, she was carrying a bright red ‘Hello Kitty’ backpack on the day she disappeared.
The missing girl’s mother, Cassie Matthews, said she believes McDougal was a friend of Audrii’s father.
When the search was still going on, she asked the public for help and said it wasn’t like her daughter to run away or disappear.
“We have no clues, so we cling to any thread, any sign, anything in general,” he said. KPRC At the time.
“There’s no feeling you feel,” he explained. “You’re broken, you’re angry, you’re empty, and right now I’m empty.”
“I’m not going to be the same unless my baby is returned to me and neither will her family, any of us, any of her friends, any of the people she’s been connected to in the community.”
In announcing the discovery of Audrii’s body on Tuesday, Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons (pictured) said his “heart aches with this news.”
The desperate search sparked fervent online speculation and attracted multiple law enforcement agencies, while a statewide Amber Alert was lifted.
Police began searching the wooded area near the young woman’s home as she is a wildlife and nature lover, her family said.
Shortly after the search began it was determined that the disappearance was not an accident, as Lt. Craig Cummings said at a press conference that “based on the evidence we have, we understand that foul play is a factor.”