Texas authorities lifted an Amber alert for a missing 11-year-old Tuesday after discovering her body, Fox 26 reported.
Officials in Texas found the body of Audrii Cunningham in a local river, ending the search for her. The Polk County District Attorney’s office, under DA Shelly Sitton, is now reportedly initiating legal action against Don Steven McDougal, 42, according to Fox 26.
DA Sitton revealed that the authorities are preparing an arrest warrant for McDougal on a potential capital murder charge, ABC News reported. The decision on seeking the death penalty remains pending. Sitton confirmed McDougal’s incarceration as of Tuesday on an unrelated assault charge. McDougal, a friend of the victim’s father, lived in a trailer on the family’s property.
BREAKING: Texas officials reportedly find body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in riverhttps://t.co/rzKTrquuku
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 20, 2024
Polk County officials are conducting an autopsy on Cunningham’s body to determine the cause of her death. Police have launched a comprehensive investigation, examining cellphone data, video evidence and McDougal’s statements, which have shed light on her death’s circumstances. Despite McDougal’s hints about the location of the discovery, officials believe their investigation would have led them to Cunningham without his information, Fox 26 reported. (RELATED: Father Facing Murder Charge After Missing Son’s Body Found In Trash)
Authorities have kept details of the investigation, especially the methods used to find Cunningham’s body, confidential, Fox 26 stated. The Amber Alert for Cunningham was issued Feb. 15 when the victim did not get on her school bus and was absent from school. McDougal was reportedly the last person seen with her.