Police made the devastating announcement that they have found the body of an 11-year-old girl who disappeared while on her way to school.
Audrii Cunningham vanished after a neighbor allegedly dropped her off at a bus stop. The search has ended in tragedy as Texas police found her lifeless body in the Trinity River, said Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons.
“My heart aches with this news,” Lyons expressed.
Don Steven McDougal, a family friend of the young girl’s father, is set to be charged with murder.
According to reports, he was allegedly seen walking Audrii to school on the day she disappeared, with police describing him as the ‘last person to see her alive.’
McDougal was previously named as a person of interest. On Friday, he was in in a mugshot photo after being charged with separate offences.
Fox26 reported that he has a criminal history dating back to 2001 that included convictions on two counts of enticement of a child.
On the third day of the search, investigators found a small backpack near the Lake Livingston Dam. Police said that Cunningham was carrying a bride ‘Hello Kitty’ backpack on the day she disappeared.
Lyons confirmed that there was ‘enough in it to lead us to believe strongly that it is Audrii’s backpack.’
Investigators also identified a dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban as a ‘vehicle of interest,’ which police said matched McDougal’s car.
Polk County District Attorney Shelley said that charges of capital murder are now being prepared for McDougal.
“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,” Sitton said.
McDougal is currently being held at the Polk County Jail with a bond set at $500,000.
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