Family Friend Helped Find Schoolgirl He’d Murdered in Texas

Audrii Cunningham was an eleven-year-old girl. She lived in Livingston, Texas, with her family. Audrii was kind and loved singing and dancing. Animals were special to her, especially cats and dogs.

She also enjoyed reading and painting. On February 15, 2024, she left for school. The bus stop was her destination, as usual, around 7 AM. This was only ten days after her birthday.

The school alerted her father when she missed the bus. She also did not arrive at school. This was not normal for Audrii. Police then issued an Amber Alert.

The public got notified about the missing child with the goal of finding her quickly. Audrii was four-foot-one, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a black hoodie and black pants with white letters, plus black trainers.

A large search started with a big media focus. People offered a $10,000 reward. Audrii’s family pleaded for her safe return. Her photo was widely shared.

Her Hello Kitty backpack was found near Lake Livingston Dam. Fears grew regarding a possible kidnapping as time was running out to find her.

Everyone helped with the search, including a family friend who lived on their property and had fallen on hard times. Don Steven McDougal was the friend’s name. He lived in a trailer behind the family’s house.

He had become friends with Audrii’s father and would walk her to the bus stop or sometimes give her rides to school. McDougal told them he needed a place to stay, mentioning his past convictions for theft and drugs back in 2003.

He said he wanted to change his life. The family checked his record and then let him stay believing he deserved a second chance.

McDougal helped search for Audrii when she went missing. He talked to neighbors and asked for information, acting like a concerned friend. On the day she disappeared, he claimed he should have taken Audrii to the bus.

He denied any involvement in her disappearance and posted that he did nothing wrong. McDougal was arrested the next day for an unrelated assault case.

Police identified him as a person of interest and started gathering evidence. Audrii’s family did not know that a sexual predator was residing on their property.

McDougal had a criminal record, as they knew. However, they didn’t know about a prior accusation. He was accused of attempted child molestation in 2007.

To avoid a sex offender label, he took a plea deal, admitting to enticing a child, a lesser charge. Texas law didn’t require registration for this crime, and the family was horrified by this legal loophole.

The search for Audrii went on. Police used McDougal’s phone data, focusing on areas he had recently visited. On February 20th, search teams went to the Trinity River, ten miles from Audrii’s home.

A highway runs above the river, and authorities reduced the flow to lower the river level. Divers found Audrii’s body weighed down with a rock and rope.

An autopsy revealed she died from blunt force trauma. The rope matched what they had found in McDougal’s car. McDougal was charged with murder. Audrii would not be coming home.

The community mourned, and people held a vigil for Audrii. They released purple balloons, her favorite color. Her mother, Cassie Matthews, called Audrii “perfection.”

The family received criticism online for allowing McDougal to stay. They explained that they believed in faith and said the system had failed them. They thought they had checked McDougal’s past and stated they wouldn’t have let him near her.

McDougal, who initially claimed he was not guilty, accepted a plea deal. He admitted to kidnapping and murdering Audrii. The judge gave him life in prison through agreement, with no possibility of parole, and he cannot appeal.

Assessments showed that McDougal had some disabilities. The death penalty was therefore not an option.

During the court hearing, Audrii’s family spoke. Her father talked about the family’s profound loss and said Audrii gave them purpose. Her grandfather called McDougal a “monster” expressing shock at the betrayal.

Her grandmother said he took her little angel’s life, adding that his punishment would never fit what he did; nothing will ever bring Audrii back, and she told him to rot in hell.

People want “Audrii’s Law” to fix a Texas loophole that would require those convicted of luring a child to register as sex offenders. The family thinks Audrii might have been saved.

Audrii’s portrait and last art project remain at school. The purple signature and heart stand as memorials.