The body of a missing Texas girl was found in a river Tuesday, six days after she vanished on her way to school.
11-year-old Audrii Cunningham’s body was located in the Trinity River under a bridge, Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said.
Audrii was last seen alive on Thursday when her father dropped her off at a bus stop.
Police said that family friend Don Steven McDougal, 42, was later spotted walking with the girl at around 7 a.m. and his dark blue 2003 Chevrolet Suburban was linked to the girl’s disappearance.
McDougal, who lived in a trailer behind Cunningham’s family home, searched for the missing girl and knocked on doors seeking information.
“To me, it simply tells me that he’s trying to give the appearance that he has no play or he’s not at fault in her disappearance and that (he’s) part of the concerned parties who were trying to locate her,” the sheriff said.
The man was initially considered a person of interest in Audrii’s disappearance before being named a primary suspect and charged with capital murder.
He had a lengthy criminal history that included two convictions on enticement of a child counts.
