The body of Audrii Cunningham, an 11-year-old girl who disappeared while on her way to school in Texas, was found Tuesday in the Trinity River, according to Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons.
“Audrii’s body was located at the Trinity River under US Highway 59,” Lyons told reporters at a Tuesday news conference. He later said her body had been taken to the medical examiner’s office in Harris County and officials were awaiting information on her cause of death.
Polk County District Attorney Shelly Sitton said they are in the process of preparing arrest warrants for Don Steven McDougal, 42, adding they believe a capital murder charge will be appropriate.
“Based on all of the evidence that law enforcement has collected, they are in the process of preparing the appropriate arrest warrants,” Sitton said. “At this time, we believe the appropriate arrest warrant is going to be for capital murder in the death of Audrii Cunningham. He is still in jail under an unrelated felony charge.”
When asked by reporters how Audrii was killed, Sitton said, “I cannot speak to that.”
McDougal, a friend of Audrii’s father, gave investigators a list of places he had been to, but didn’t divulge where her body was, according to the sheriff. Lyons added authorities also used cell phone data and video to help find her remains.
McDougal was already in custody after he was arrested Friday night on unrelated aggravated assault charges, according to the sheriff’s office.
Suspect has lengthy list of criminal convictions
McDougal has a lengthy criminal past with convictions for violent crimes and another for enticing a child, according to court records in several Texas counties.
In 2007, he was convicted of enticing a child in Brazoria County, Texas. Court records show he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years in prison, but given credit for 527 days. Online records in Brazoria County do not provide details on the specific allegations in that case.
He was also convicted in 2010 and 2019 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The victim in the first case, which led to a four-year prison sentence, told CNN on Tuesday that McDougal, his former coworker, attacked him after being thrown out of his house.