[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Brace yourselves for some horrid new details in the Audrii Cunningham murder case.
Last week, the 11-year-old Texas girl was reported missing after she failed to show up at her bus stop and didn’t attend school on February 15. Right then, all eyes fixated on neighbor Don Steven McDougal as the main person of interest. He apparently looked after her on occasion, and allegedly offered to walk her to her bus stop the day she went missing — thereby possibly making him the last person to see her alive.
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The very next day, Don was arrested on unrelated charges. But based on his statement, Polk County deputies began searching for her at the Trinity River. According to law enforcement, that’s one of the places Don cited as visiting after the child was reported missing. The Trinity River Authority lowered the water level so a proper search could be conducted, and sadly, Audrii’s dead body was discovered. Don never mentioned anything about that in his statement, but as we know, he’s since been charged with capital murder.
What was the damning piece of evidence? Rope. According to his charging papers posted on X (Twitter), Audrii’s body was found tied to a rock at the bottom of the river — with a rope that matched one seen in Don’s car:
“Law enforcement discovered a large rock tied to the child victim’s body. The rope used was consistent with rope that was observed in McDougal’s vehicle on a traffic stop two days prior.”
What the f**k.
Additionally, “cell phone data, video footage, and other forensic evidence” helped to confirm Don had lied to deputies in his initial interrogation about his whereabouts on the day Audrii went missing. Read the full report (below):
BREAKING: Don Steven McDougal capital murder charging document reveals 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham’s body was tied to a large rock in the Trinity River using a rope like investigators saw in McDougal’s Suburban. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/93sxGoMNYk
— KPRC 2 Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) February 21, 2024
So disturbing. But with his official murder charge, we’re one step closer to possibly seeing justice brought to Audrii.
R.I.P.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org
[Images via Polk County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook]
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