Texas: 11-year-old girl found dead in river – Missing for a week

Texas police found the lifeless body of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham in a river in the area.

The child had been missing for almost a week when last Thursday morning she left her father’s house to go to school, but never got on the bus, as she did every morning.

An Amber Alert has since been activated for her disappearance.

Her body was found in the Trinity River, the sheriff told reporters. According to him, the autopsy is also being conducted in order to establish the cause of the child’s death.

According to ABC News, Don Steven McDougal, a friend of Audrii’s father, was named by investigators as a person of interest.

McDougal, who lives in a mobile home behind Audrii’s home, allegedly promised to walk the 11-year-old to her bus stop and was the last person to see her, according to the sheriff.

Her father’s friend and their neighbor had accompanied her to the bus stop before

He said there was evidence that McDougal had left the child at the bus stop in the past.

McDougal was arrested Friday on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He has an extensive criminal history, including seduction of a minor in 2008.

Polk County, Texas District Attorney Shelly Bush-Sitton told reporters that an arrest warrant is pending against McDougal and he will be charged with first degree murder.

The sheriff said investigators worked with information from several sources, including McDougal, to arrive at the location where the 11-year-old was found.

In fact, they had to slow down the outflow of water in the river in order for the lifeless body of the child to become visible to the researchers.