Current:Home > NewsPredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center:What to know about the death of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in Texas -Prime Capital Blueprint
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center:What to know about the death of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in Texas
Robert Brown View
Date:2025-04-07 06:06:31
Five days after 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham went missing,PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center her body was found in a Texas river near her home and a family friend who authorities say was supposed to be taking her to the school bus stop the day she disappeared is charged with killing her.
Early in the investigation, authorities had named the family friend, 42-year-old Don Steven McDougal, as a person of interest. He was charged with capital murder on Tuesday after authorities announced that Audrii’s body had been found in the Trinity River in a rural area north of Houston.
Here’s a look at what’s known about the slaying:
WHEN DID SHE GO MISSING?
Audrii’s family reported her missing at about 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 15 after she didn’t come home after school. Investigators then discovered that she had never gotten on the bus to go to school that morning.
Authorities have said that she lived with her father, grandparents and other relatives in Livingston near the shore of Lake Livingston.
McDougal lived on the the same property in a camper. The day that Audrii went missing, she left her home in his vehicle, according to the capital murder complaint filed against McDougal.
The justice of the peace who released the complaint did not know if McDougal had hired an attorney yet but said he had indicated he did not want a court-appointed lawyer.
WHERE WAS HER BODY FOUND?
Audrii’s body was found in the Trinity River at a location about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from her home.
A large rock was tied to her body with a rope, according to the complaint.
The Harris County medical examiner’s office in Houston will determine her cause of death.
WHAT’S THE EVIDENCE IN THE CASE?
Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons has said there is “substantial evidence,” including cellphone data that was used to help identify places to look.
Also, the complaint says that the rope used to tie the large rock to Audrii’s body was consistent with rope seen in McDougal’s vehicle.
A backpack believed to be Audrii’s was found Friday near the Lake Livingston dam. That lake is one of the state’s largest reservoirs and was created with a dam on the Trinity River.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SUSPECT?
As authorities searched for Audrii, McDougal was arrested Friday on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. That complaint, dated Friday, alleges he stabbed a man last summer.
Court records from Brazoria County, south of Houston, show McDougal pleaded no contest in 2008 to two felony counts of enticing a child and was sentenced to two years in prison.
veryGood! (66761)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Missouri's ban on gender-affirming health care for minors can take effect next week, judge rules
- Massive emergency alert test will sound alarms on US cellphones, TVs and radios in October
- Italy's Milan records hottest day in 260 years as Europe sizzles in another heat wave
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Tish Cyrus shares photos from 'fairytale' wedding to Dominic Purcell at daughter Miley's home
- Congenital heart defect likely caused Bronny James' cardiac arrest, family says
- Prigozhin’s final months were overshadowed by questions about what the Kremlin had in store for him
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Ryan Reynolds ditches the trolling to celebrate wife Blake Lively in a sweet birthday post
Ranking
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- FIFA suspends Spain president Luis Rubiales, federation accuses player of lying about kiss
- Ryan Preece provides wildest Daytona highlight, but Ryan Blaney is alive and that's huge
- At Japanese nuclear plant, controversial treated water release just the beginning of decommissioning
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Hawaii authorities evacuate area of Lahaina due to brush fire near site of deadly blaze
- Simone Biles prioritizes safety over scores. Gymnastics officials should do same | Opinion
- Why is Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa so hated? The reasons are pretty dumb.
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Kim Cattrall and Other TV Stars Who Returned to the Hit Shows They Left
Italy's Milan records hottest day in 260 years as Europe sizzles in another heat wave
12-year-old girl killed on couch after gunshots fired into Florida home
Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
Workers exposed to extreme heat have no consistent protection in the US
Global inflation pressures could become harder to manage in coming years, research suggests
Indianapolis police say officer killed machete-wielding man