Missing Texas Girl, 11, Found Dead — Person Who Knocked Door to Door to Help Find Her Charged with Murder
Audrii Cunningham | Source: Facebook.com/sheriffpcsotx | Facebook.com/joshua.cunningham.522
Don Steven McDougal, a person of interest in the disappearance of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham, had reportedly agreed to take her to a school bus stop on the morning she disappeared on February 15, 2024. But she never made it there.
According to the authorities, Don Steven McDougal, a person of interest in the case, and a friend of the missing girl’s father, was dishonest about his whereabouts and what he was up to on the day Audrii Cunningham went missing.
Her body has since been found. Per court documents, there was a large rock that was tied around her remains. “The rope used was consistent with rope that was observed in McDougal’s vehicle on a traffic stop two days prior,” the complaint states. Following new developments in the case, McDougal has been charged with capital murder.
Additionally, Sheriff Bylon Lyons revealed that McDougal used to accompany the child to catch the school bus in the neighborhood. In the wake of Audrii’s disappearance, McDougal even assisted in the search for the little girl. He was seen knocking on neighborhood doors asking if anyone had seen her.
However, Lyons had a hunch that there was more than met the eye, judging by the lengths McDougal was going to find Audrii. Days after her disappearance, he reportedly claimed in several comments on social media, that he was not responsible for her going missing.
McDougal claimed he had “done nothing wrong.” “I’m not guilty,” reads a comment from the account under a post on the Facebook page “True Crime Society,” a day after Audrii was reported missing. “I was there and was questioned. I am not running or hiding,” McDougal wrote before commenting again and saying, “I have done everything I can to help find her. I have done nothing wrong.”
Audrii Cunningham | Source: Facebook.com/Polk County Sheriff’s Office TX, Sheriff Byron Lyons
As previously reported on February 19:
The family of an 11-year-old girl, Audrii Cunningham, has been in distress since their little girl disappeared. She was last seen near her home in the early hours around the 100 block of Lakeside Drive in Polk County.
She was dropped off at the bus stop, but school officials informed the Sheriff’s Office that Audrii never boarded the bus and did not report to school. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and various law enforcement agencies have issued an urgent Amber Alert for the young Texas resident.
Audrii is described as a white female, with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing approximately 4 feet 1 inch tall and weighing 75 pounds. Her last known attire includes black pants, a black hoodie adorned with white marks, and black high-top tennis shoes. She was also carrying a distinctive bright red “Hello Kitty” backpack.
