Suspect in death of Audrii Cunningham charged with capital murder after the girl’s body was found in a river tied to a rock

2 min readFeb 21, 2024

Don Steven McDougal, the family friend accused of killing 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in Livingston, Texas, is now charged with capital murder, according to court documents filed in Polk County on Wednesday.

McDougal — who was already in jail in connection with an unrelated assault case — was ordered to be held without bond.

“Video footage and cell phone data places McDougal at three locations of interest,” including along the Trinity River, where Audrii’s body was recovered Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint.

Don Steven McDougal
Don Steven McDougal Polk County Jail/AP
Investigators say McDougal had agreed to take the girl to a school bus stop on the morning that she disappeared, but she never arrived. In the complaint, a sheriff’s deputy said there is evidence “McDougal lied about his whereabouts and activities on the day of February 15, 2024.”

A large rock was found tied around Audrii’s body when her remains were discovered, the court document says. “The rope used was consistent with rope that was observed in McDougal’s vehicle on a traffic stop two days prior,” the complaint states.

Neither the court documents filed Wednesday nor jail records list an attorney for McDougal.

Audrii’s family thought McDougal was just taking the girl down the street to the bus stop when the pair left her home Thursday morning, Polk County officials said. But she never made it onto the school bus or into her classroom, and a bag resembling her bright red, Hello Kitty backpack was later found near a local dam.

Audrii’s body was found Tuesday in the Trinity River, downstream from the reservoir near where the backpack was found. It was one of several locations McDougal told investigators he had gone around the time of her disappearance, Sheriff Byron Lyons said.

Suspect in death of Audrii Cunningham charged with capital murder after the girl’s body was found in a river tied to a rock

Written by Inforaiyan