Aiexpress – Divers have found the body of an 11-year-old girl in a Texas river, days after she went missing. Authorities are prepared to bring a murder charge against the suspect, who they claim is a friend of the girl’s father. (Feb. 20)
Divers have retrieved the body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham from a Texas river, days after she went missing, and investigators are preparing to prosecute her father’s friend, who lived on her family’s property, with murder, a sheriff said Tuesday afternoon.
According to Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons, divers discovered Audrii’s remains while searching the Trinity River in a remote area north of Houston. Her body was discovered approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) from her home near Lake Livingston.
“My heart aches with this news,” Lyons added.
Audrii’s family reported her missing on Thursday when she did not return from school to her Livingston home. After she was reported missing, investigators learned that she never boarded the bus to school that morning.
Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton stated that officials were preparing an arrest warrant for Don Steven McDougal, 42, on a suggested capital murder charge. She stated that they do not yet know if they will pursue the death sentence in this case.
Lyons stated that there is “substantial evidence” in the case, adding that mobile phone data and videos helped identify search areas. He also stated that the Trinity River Authority decreased water levels on the river, which resulted in the discovery of her remains.
According to authorities, McDougal is a friend of the girl’s father and lives in a camper on the family’s property. Authorities reported that Audrii resided with her father, grandmother, and other family members.
According to Lyons, McDougal has previously brought Audrii to the bus stop or to school if she missed the bus.
A backpack believed to be the child’s was found Friday near the dam on Lake Livingston, one of the state’s largest lakes.
While investigating Audrii’s disappearance last week, officials listed McDougal as a person of interest, and he was detained Friday on an unrelated assault allegation. On Tuesday, he remained in jail on that charge. According to jail records, he did not have an attorney.
According to court documents in Brazoria County, south of Houston, McDougal pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of luring a juvenile in connection with a 2007 incident and was sentenced to two years in jail.
The sheriff stated that the girl’s body has been transported to the Harris County medical examiner’s office in Houston to determine the cause of death.
