The search for missing Texas girl Audrii Cunninghman entered its fourth day Monday morning, with search efforts continuing in the Livingston area.
KHOU reports that the non-profit search agency Texas EquuSearch focused its search for the 11-year-old near 59 and the Trinity River in Livingston on Saturday, while police focused their search Friday around the southern part of Lake Livingston.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, the search Monday will continue with the Trinity River boat ramp off I-69 closed temporarily while the search continues.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Audrii was last seen at around 7 a.m. on February 15, in the 100 block of Lakeside Drive. Police said she was supposed to get on the school bus in her neighborhood that morning, but “school officials reported to the Sheriff’s Office that the school bus did not pick Audrii up, nor did she report to school.”
On Saturday, the Texas Department of Public Safety identified 42-year-old Don Steven McDougal, who lives in a trailer behind the home where Cunningham lives with her father, as a “person of interest” in Cunningham’s disappearance.
Polk County officials said that McDougal is cooperating to some extent with investigators, He admitted that he left the house with Audrii on the day she went missing. However, police stressed that they are examining all angles and considering other possible suspects.
McDougal was arrested Friday night on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has not been named a suspect publicly, but he has been booked into the Polk County Jail.
McDougal’s criminal record includes a 2007 conviction for enticing a minor, according to KHOU-TV.
Authorities have reportedly identified other persons of interest but have not disclosed the identities of those individuals.
Earlier on Saturday, authorities announced that a dark blue Chevrolet Suburban was a “vehicle of interest.” Police “have control” of the SUV but want to speak with anyone who may have seen it in recent days.
UPDATE: Investigators have identified 42-year-old Don Steven McDougal (pictured) of Livingston as one of the persons of interest in the disappearance of Audrii Cunningham.
Report tips to the Polk Co Sheriff’s Office, Polk Co Crime Stoppers, or our iWatchTexas app. https://t.co/OTPcRIRdGv pic.twitter.com/d3AkWmAfg4
— TxDPS – Southeast Texas Region (@TxDPSSoutheast) February 17, 2024
Audrii is described as a white female who stands 4-foot-1 and weighs around 75 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing black pants, a black hoodie with white lettering and black high-top shoes.
Meanwhile, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
To report information about Audrii or her location, call the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 936-327-6810.
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[Feature Photo: Audrii Cunningham/Polk County Sheriff’s Office]
Additional reporting by Jonathan Anderson
